When it comes to my job, I don’t see what I do as an endeavor in “work-life”.

Rather, I see this journey to my current, winding adventure as “life’s work”.

That wasn’t always the case.

Like all of us, I wanted to make my mark. I wanted to be seen for my talents. I was up for the challenge of conquering the corporate ladder. And I wanted to be compensated appropriately for doing so.

But as I get older, I try to be more intentional about the way I spend my time.

To be clear:

I was never into “work-life balance”.

I was more into “work-life integration”.

This is not to knock the above.

Rather, a personal choice.

I had a conversation with a loved one recently who didn’t exactly love their profession.

Just the opposite.

They got to the point where they were just going through the motions at work.

Might as well be sleeping through the job.

My response?

Let me get this straight.

You sleep at night.

Then you sleepwalk through the day?

All to pick up a few hours of “you time” late at night once your kids are asleep?

That seems like no way to live.

Here’s an exercise…

Chart the amount of time you spend on work.

Chart the amount of time you spend on you.

What do the numbers look like?

Are you happy with the allocations?

It’s hard to admit when something needs to change. I was 40 when I was sitting in my big fancy office realizing that I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing anymore. I was never more angry realizing to myself of this reality.

Five years later?

I’m truly happy.

The five years in between?

They weren’t always easy.

But today, because I had the courage to not lie to myself, I get to help leaders and companies address the hard stuff; where they might be stuck, scared, stale or playing it safe.

This is life’s work.

Not work-life.

Doing what you love? Bravo.

Sleeping through the job? Don’t lie to yourself.

Need help? Reach out. Seriously. Been there done that.