30) It’s Never Worth Sacrificing Your Health or Happiness for Pay
“Nobody on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office.’” ~U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas when resigning from his Senate seat after being diagnosed with cancer in 1984
I’ve learned (and relearned) this lesson the hard way. As much as I value my family, friends, and health, I have foolishly sacrificed them all in different ways in the past as I pursued various professional or academic endeavors. Luckily, my wake up calls have been fairly benign: seeing an increasingly chunky guy in the mirror and spending time with spreadsheets on holidays instead of friends and family. As opposed to getting the message too late: having a heart attack and dying alone. But I know that both are real possibilities for the workaholic in me if I let my work life supersede my personal life.