In our series about the Top Five Regrets of the Dying, we are coming to the regret known as ‘I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.’
I Wish I hadn’t Worked So Hard
According to Bronnie Ware, this regret came from every male patient she had nursed, which is understandable since she worked with older patients from a generation where the male was more commonly the breadwinner. However, we will see more and more of this in women as the years progress. I also believe this regret is already linked to feeling that you have to be online 24/7 to not miss any important work emails.In some ways, the older generation, though many of them worked longer hours, had it easier because they could go home and leave work behind. We don’t really have that luxury any more and many people even take their smart phones with them on holiday, making sure the hotel has WiFi so they can stay in the loop.
Luckily, we don’t have to rely on the supernatural to put the work-life imbalance right. Using common sense will go a long way. Check out the symptoms below to see if your work-life balance is out of whack:
10 Signs That Your Work-Life Balance is Way Out of Whack
- you already feel unhappy about the long hours you work (duh!)
- your physical health is being neglected
- you feel depressed, irritable or anxious
- constantly worrying about work even when not at work
- you’re juggling’work and family responsibilities and there is not enough of you to go around to meet the needs of your family members
- not remembering the last time you were able to just let your hair down and RELAX in the company of friends
- you literally can’t imagining NOT checking work emails when you are on holiday
- your use of the sentence ‘I’m overbooked’ is on repeat
- you have a fear of your work not being ‘perfect’
- your desk/work environment has gotten out-of-control messy
- your sleep is suffering and/or you are nodding off at work
How to Read on Your Work-Life Balance
To read on how your work and addiction to staying online are affecting your work-life balance, simply divide the deck into its five suits: Majors, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. You will have five piles of cards, face down, in front of you. Shuffle each of them individually and pull a card from the top when you are done.
Major Arcana – This card will show you what main spiritual lesson you are facing now with regards to your work-life balance.
Wands – Shows you where your life force is wanting to flow or how it is currently blocked.
Cups – This shows you how your emotions/relationships are affected by your work-life balance.
Swords – Here you can detect any negative looping thoughts or ongoing problem resolution, as well as fears/anxieties. This is also where an Internet addiction is likely to show up.
Pentacles – Your physical/financial wellbeing.
Allow the images to speak to you and don’t be afraid if your intuitive inner guidance deviates from traditional card meanings! This is your soul’s chance to help you find better balance and a deeper understanding of the dynamic at hand… so let your soul speak!
SAMPLE WORK-LIFE READING WITH THE FRIDEBORG TAROT
Major Arcana – The Lovers
I am literally in love with my job… and I’m also aware of the need to make some important choices right now to get the balance right, both in terms of carving out more time for other things as well as making my business financially viable. The Lovers corresponds to the 17th Path on the Tree of Life and connects Tiferet (balance, beauty, integration) with Binah (intuitive understanding). Travelling up the 17th Path allows us to make better choices and rectify (repent of) any faults made apparent by the splendour of Tiferet.
Suit of Wands – 3 of Wands
A lack of stability and a need to go keep growing. The foundation is in place but I feel like I can’t afford to slow down and that I need to reach more people with my work. Most (if not all) of my creative energy funnels into work, which leaves very little mojo for anything else.
Suit of Cups – Ace of Cups
I devote so much of myself to work that it is absorbing all my love like a black hole. Time for emotional diversification!
Suit of Swords – 7 of Swords
With the Moon in Aquarius corresponding with this card, I feel I do need to face up to my Internet addiction and a need to manage my time more responsibly. Working online is an excuse for how I spend a lot of my time… Ugh… Time to stop lying to myself!
Suit of Pentacles – 2 of Pentacles
This has been my ‘stalker card’ for the past week or so… In the Buddha Tarot it speaks of stagnation. The two juggling balls in the Frideborg Tarot 2 of Pentacles reveal that the forward drive in 3 of Wands and the need to make a choice indicated by The Lovers is indeed being blocked by indecision and this could potentially cause my physical health to suffer. Instead of pushing forward, I’m pushing back and forth, energetically speaking, and making very little headway. I’m pretty sure this is a message from my body to move more…
