Becoming a Workaholic ?

• Has work become the center of your life?
• Has work interfered with your family responsibilities?
• Do you sometimes work alone - and in secret?
• Do you attempt to work more than most of your colleagues?
• Do you sometimes excuse yourself from other activities in order to work?
• Do you sometimes brag about how much you work?
• Do you envy those who are able to work more than you do?
• Does work help you forget about some of your problems?
• Do you feel more self-confident when you work?
• Has your health suffered because you work too much?
• Does work sometimes make you moody and depressed?
• Do you work more now than when you were younger?
• Do you often put in more time at work than is expected?
• Do you enjoy days at work more than you enjoy days off work?
• Do you get restless when you have not been at work for several days?
• Do you resent people who look forward to days away from work?
• Are you tempted to take work home with you after the work day ends?
• Are you tempted to work while on vacation?
• Would you feel lost if you had to stop working?

IF YOU ANSWERED YES to several of the questions above, you may be on your way to becoming a "workaholic." Most adults must work in order to provide income for the necessities (and some of the luxuries) of life. However, some individuals take work to the extreme: they become married to their job! It is great to be happy in your work - your vocation, your career. Work is good; meaningful labor is a blessing. But, work needs to be balanced with time away from work. Evenings which are free, days off, weekends, vacations - all of these are needed also. Time with family; time with friends; time for church or community responsibilities; time for fun, exercise, and recreation activities; and time for yourself - to do whatever you please - all of these are important things to consider.

Don't become a "workaholic." Learn to balance your life! Work and leisure are both important ingredients to living life the way it was meant to be lived.

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-- Adapted from thoughts by Gordon Dahl