Dreaming…about Work

As you can tell my blog has been preoccupied with work the past few weeks. As I think about my next career move, I thought it would be helpful to explain my thoughts on work and how it fits into my life.

I believe that there are 2 ways to think about work. Either you "live to work" or you "work to live". I, for one, subscribe to the latter. I don't spend every waking minute thinking about work. My work does not consume me (probably because I don't have/run my own business). I think of work as something I do so that I can earn enough to live comfortably, to be with my wife and family, to take care of our pets, to pursue hobbies, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some lazy SOB. I AM very ambitious. I work hard to get promoted, to be promoted where I'll run the show one day, to get rewarded and make more money, etc. However, I want balance in my life where I can enjoy the life that work affords me.

One of the things I've told close friends is that when I start dreaming of work, it's time to look for a new job. My thought on this is that once your work seeps into one's sub-conscience, it has consumed you. That's where I am now as I had a dream about work last night.

In my dream, I was actually laid off by the company. My manager and HR rep pulled me into a conference room and gave me the news. However, rather than be shocked and saddened by the news, I got up and started dancing with joy. I know I shouldn't laugh (or make light of this) as many many people are out of work and I should be thankful to have a job. However, I found it funny that I celebrated being laid off in my dream.

How bad must it be for me to start thinking this way? Would it be better off for me to quit and be happy OR should I bear the misery to continue earning the paycheck? If I was single, the answer would be easy as I would have quit months ago. But as I'm married and have more than myself to take care of, I've chosen the latter and praying that a new profitable opportunity comes up within the next few weeks.