AskPolly: 'I work too hard and I’m still poor and miserable!'
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Dear Polly,
I know that will sound absurd to someone who’s struggling with money like you are. I’ve been in debt and had next to nothing and worked way too hard before, too, and I know the panic there. But even once I had some money I was still wound up and working too hard. So I want you to stick with me and suspend your disbelief for a second.
But maybe a part of me felt like I didn’t deserve more. Wanting more than that seemed a little absurd. I started asking myself and my husband, “What if I never wrote another book?” and “What if I just decided not to finish this high-pressure project?” I started to say things like, “What if we made less money?” and “What if I wore this one pair of pants for the rest of my life?” and “What if I just stand still and appreciate this day and do no work at all?” I started to try on radically different visions of my life.
That’s what it is to be human. And if you want to be happy, YOU are the one who must decide what it means to be good to yourself. You are the one who gets to ask, “Do I care about measuring up to other people’s ideas of what success in my field looks like?” and you are the one who gets to answer “Hell no, I do not. I want to invent my own unique path to happiness.”
This is what it boiled down to for me: You have to stop wanting to be heroic and impressive, and you have to start wanting to feel good. You have to stop wanting to be better for everyone else and start wanting to be good to yourself. And you have to believe that you deserve that.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Did Prince Andrew Ask Ghislaine Maxwell for Help?According to a new report, the prince asked Ghislaine Maxwell, with whom he has reportedly been in constant contact, for help solving his own PR problems
Read more »
Democratic states ask Supreme Court for immediate review of Obamacare decisionA coalition of Democratic-led states is asking the Supreme Court to immediately take up a challenge to Obamacare
Read more »
House, Democratic-led states ask Supreme Court to decide fate of ObamacareLawyers for the Democratic-led House of Representatives as well as California and other Democratic-led states asked the Supreme Court Friday to immediately step in to decide the fate of the Affordable Care Act.
Read more »
Democrats ask U.S. Supreme Court to save ObamacareThe Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and 20 Democratic-led st...
Read more »
Democratic states ask Supreme Court to rule on Obamacare before electionA coalition of Democratic-led states is asking the Supreme Court to immediately take up a challenge to Obamacare, calling on the justices to decide the law's fate well ahead of November's elections
Read more »
Ask yourself 3 questions before jumping into the stock market in 2020Investing starts with figuring out if you're in the best financial position to even do so. Here are three simple questions financial experts say to ask yourself to determine if you're ready to start investing this year.
Read more »