The Ultimate Balancing Act: 70 Hour Work Week vs. My Passion

Time management may seem pretty simple to some and honestly, it is. For me, I had to juggle between my jobs, family, friends, responsibilities in the house, a girlfriend (at the time), and of course, my personal growth. I was successful at first but quickly became burnt out. I noticed that I wasn’t putting in as much effort as I could in all categories. In other words, I found myself “half-a**ing” most. A good friend and mentor of mine, Salvatore DiBenedetto made it pretty apparent to me that in order to get to where I wanted to be, sacrifices needed to be made. I couldn’t spend as much time with my family as I wanted too. I found myself staying in on the weekends instead of hitting the bars with the boys. My diet and physical fitness took a significant decline, which can be pretty problematic in this particular line of work. I started to notice a shift take place. I stopped getting that invite out on the weekends, my family assumed that I was too busy to make time for them, and I was focusing most of my energy on a relationship and my 70 hour work week. At the time, I thought I had a good system in place but little did I know, it was the furthest thing from the truth. 

I stopped focusing on my passion and started to focus on an hourly paycheck. With some significant changes in my life, I decided to take a major step back and focus on what was most important. I decided to ask my mom for her opinion on my situation which was foreign for me as I typically keep a fair distance between the two. Let’s just say that my mother’s outlook on life can be a little too blunt for my style. Her perspective in this case was important since she has proven to be quite a successful business woman. I asked if her life choices were worth it and if she had the choice, would she do anything different. Without hesitation, she said that she would have followed her passion instead of the paycheck. This may sound pretty cliche but when you find yourself at a crossroad, this is the perfect conversation to have. There will always be a 9-5 job out there but will you always have the option of following that other path? 

I immediately hit the corporate world as soon as I graduated college. Honestly, I thought I was on the perfect track and happy as could be. I had the job that made me happy and a relationship I thought would have lasted a lifetime. Reality came knocking and I found the job to be monotonous and the relationship even moreso. I no longer have either and I had nothing to show for it. From this, some self-reflection took place along with an incredible opportunity. I found myself working with one of my close college friends traveling and exploiting everything that life had to offer. I was fully immersed in the hospitality field. It seemed that everything fell into place but that initial risk was almost crippling. I’m a firm believer in risk taking. Depending on the decisions you make on a day to day basis will determine the type of person you turn out to be. The turn you make at that intersection as well as your coffee order at Starbucks plays a role in your life more than you may realize. For me, I took the chance of leaving that comfortable job, that toxic relationship, and that everyday routine. I try to abide by being comfortable with being uncomfortable. My passion for photography, food, and culture seemed to have played a major role in who I am as a person today. My normal social group changed, my perspective on family shifted, and my taste in others in general took a major turn. Sometimes, all it takes is that one major decision. If you ever find yourself at a similar crossroad, I urge you to make the tough decision. What’s the worst that could happen?