Is there an upside to being a workaholic?
So much negative publicity surrounds the downsides of being a workaholic that it is easy to discount that there might also be an upside. There are some advantages accompanying the compulsive need to focus on work to the exclusion of all other aspects of life.
There are many different reasons why a person might become a workaholic. If a person loves his job, or is highly motivated to succeed, he might consider focusing exclusively on his work as part of his action plan toward reaching his goals, and therefore, being a workaholic has the advantage of providing immense personal satisfaction.
Other potential advantages of being a workaholic:
A person who focuses all his time and energy on doing a good job is apt to excel in every area of his job performance, thus garnering praise and accolades, increasing his levels of self-confidence and self-esteem.
Many bosses love their workaholic employees for their reliability and steadfastness. Catching the eye of the boss as an outstanding member of the work team might garner a workaholic a promotion to a leadership role in the company.
Workaholics might enjoy a higher income due to earnings from overtime, bonuses for taking on special projects, or meeting quotas, and higher raises to compensate for their willingness to consistently go the extra mile.
While a workaholic might induce stress in other areas of his life, his level of stress at work could be considerably reduced. Being proficient at his job might incur less stress-inducing mistakes or criticism, as well as the stress-relief of potentially earning more money to afford a comfortable lifestyle, and the additional benefit of being held in high favor by his boss and others in roles of authority.
So, while being a workaholic might have all the disadvantages inherent in an unbalanced life, there are some attractive perks to being single-minded, focusing completely on the job.
Bringing the advantages of being a workaholic to light should not be looked upon as a vote in favor of the practice. Everyone needs an opportunity to refresh and recharge in order to continue operating at their optimum level of efficiency.
It is always important to know where to draw the line in any endeavor, avoiding going overboard in one aspect, to the detriment of other areeas of life. Keeping a healthy and happy balance between work and leisure time spent with family and friends allows for a more fulfilled and satisfying life.
