For those of you working really hard every day, take a step back and be grateful for the people you have in your life.
Put the work away and take some time and evaluate your work life balance and if you've been putting in enough work into your personal life.
Don't be like me and work your ass off that you ignore those around you; I was told by a co-worker I was going to ruin things and I thought I just had an understanding partner.
I did have an understanding partner and now I don't. All of the things I was doing instead of nurturing a relationship and a life outside of work is meaningless, a job is only a job and if you want to call your job a career that's fine, but its not more important than the people around you outside of work.
For a lot of you this is all obvious, but for some of you I hope you step back and make a reevaluation before it's too late.
This is my moment of clarity that has happened too late and now the clear future is clouded and the saved bottles of wine from our first trip together over 4 years ago that I planned to open for some possible future engagement celebration or wedding for us is now just bottles of wine.
This sucks, just take my word for it and change your priorities before you know how I feel.
--
Jeremy
Lifestyle contains family time, time with friends, fitness, etc..
Like I said, about a year ago, I realized that the main reason I was learning my ass off is that I wanted to give my loved ones a better life.. I kid you not that when I realized that the very reason I was working that hard was driving me away from them while living under the same frigging roof, I cried like a baby.
I mean, here I was, wanting to make it that they never have to worry financially, and yet I wasn't spending time with them.
My parents are old, and just thinking they might die before they see me succeed and before I can really take care of them and my other siblings is killing me. I want to send my nieces and nephews to a great college. I want my siblings not to worry about money. That's why I almost don't sleep and try to get good. I read everything.. I really don't care about myself if I could get them a better life. And from a logical perspective, I don't have to: I'm the youngest one, they all work, some are married and have kids, but somehow it kills me to have my own flesh and blood live a life that's not the way it should. They shouldn't budget.
But I realized it might go at any moment. And I spend time with them. But fuck, man. I look at family photos: the things they've lived (brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews and my parents). Thousands of pictures spread on so many years and I'm not on them. For so many years just because I want to offer them what I thought they want.
I lived my whole life with my family, but ironically away from them.
It's also sad that as I wrote every word of this, I started sobbing and struggled to finish it and make it seem normal.