Work hard. Leave work.

06/03/2015

You can work extra hours.
You can try to keep atop every email and request.
You can attempt to make everyone feel valued and try to leave a trail of goodness wherever you go.
You can give of yourself until you have nothing else to give.

But, the unfortunate reality, is that you will mess up. You will fail. You will disappoint.
If you accept this now, you’ll pace yourself.

When you wonder about putting in extra hours, you’ll do your best within a reasonable timeframe and then simply close the screen.

When you receive another invitation for a late night drink or an early morning breakfast, you’ll politely decline so you can write another poem or go for a longer bike ride or read a book over a cup of coffee.

When an interesting opportunity surfaces, you’ll find the simplest way to explore it and pass on anything that’s not directly related to your goals.

It will feel selfish or underachieving. But, it’s not. It’s you saving yourself for your best work. And giving the world your very best work is the most unselfish thing you could do.

Know when to work hard and know when to leave work.