Topic of the day: Is it better to be a high achiever professionally but have poor spinal health, or

Ashley Vaughn79 said: 08/19. Is it better to be successful professionally but have poor spinal flow, or to be less successful at work but have good spinal flow? That's the question.

I'll just make a copy from my inbox. 🙂

Our lovely moderator asked me to expand this into an intro post for the topic of the day.
To be honest, I don't really remember what I intended to say.
Maybe I wrote this quite literally.

Basically, people spend a lot of time sitting at work.
It’s well known that life energy, or "chi," flows through the spine and circulates through the body. People who sit a lot have their spines compressed for most of the day, which stifles that energy flow.

The result is that professionals with desk jobs—which is almost everyone these days—start looking worn out and aged pretty quickly, often dealing with various physical ailments and mental struggles...
But because they are so dedicated to their careers, they earn a decent amount of money.

So, the question could be framed as whether it's worth sacrificing your health for the sake of your career and reputation. Have you ever been in a situation where you were offered a chance to sell yourself out to an employer for great money, but at the cost of ruining your health? Poorer health, better pay.
Is it worth it or not?

Then again, the thing about the spine could also be a metaphor for one's integrity, self-respect, or honor.
In other words, would you bow down and humiliate yourself for good money?

That's roughly how the topic could go.
However, the moderator mentioned she might enrich the thread by sharing an uncomfortable story from her own private life. If she feels like it, she can add that story to the thread. It would make things more interesting.
If not, here are the questions:

Is it worth sacrificing your health for your job and professional reputation? Have you faced situations where you could sell yourself out to an employer for big money, but only if you ruined your health? Is it worth it?
Would you humiliate yourself for good money?

____________________________
I left the original version after all. 😁
Thanks, Tomislav B. ____________________________🙂

____________________________
The topic was pulled from 65. posts in Topic of the Day.

Speaking as someone working in a sector that everyone agrees isn't exactly "stress-free"—even though it’s a desk job that many would call a "dream career"—allow me to weigh in:

It’s not the sedentary lifestyle or the sitting that destroys people; it’s the overeating, the drinking, the smoking, and the lethargy (which usually stems from those very habits).

Stress? Stress doesn't break people. What breaks them is the fact that in this country, discussing mental health and the actual mechanisms used to cope with stress is still largely treated as a taboo subject. Because there aren't better solutions available, people turn to "folk remedies"—binging, drinking, and smoking—just to scrape through another day.

Integrity? That’s a matter of character and self-esteem, and it’s something many of us eventually buckle under. In my experience, it’s directly tied to the amount of stress you pile onto yourself (less integrity = more stress) and the stress you dump on your colleagues. Unfortunately, integrity isn't exactly a high-value commodity at my company, so I've had plenty of chances to work with people who sold their souls for a few extra bucks or some imaginary title to feed their ego. All I have to say about integrity is this: if you're going to sell yourself, do it for a massive amount of money and for reasons you can actually live with later.

I wouldn't say the dichotomy presented in the title is strictly necessary. Life is really about finding a sense of equilibrium, assuming one's circumstances and necessities permit such a luxury. There are moments when you simply have to take a job because there is no other option. However, if you do find yourself with a choice, it is vital to remember that true professional excellence is impossible if you burn yourself out entirely. One eventually reaches a breaking point when the mind or body is pushed beyond its natural limits. It is my belief that one must prioritize self-care first; only then can you truly offer anything of substance to others, whether in your personal life or your career.

Or, to put it more simply, there is a rather fitting image:

ruggedscout76 said:I wouldn't say the dichotomy presented in the title is strictly necessary. Life is really about finding a sense of equilibrium, assuming one's circumstances and necessities permit such a luxury. There are moments when you simply have to take a job because there is no other option. However, if you do find yourself with a choice, it is vital to remember that true professional excellence is impossible if you burn yourself out entirely. One eventually reaches a breaking point when the mind or body is pushed beyond its natural limits. It is my belief that one must prioritize self-care first; only then can you truly offer anything of substance to others, whether in your personal life or your career.

Or, to put it more simply, there is a rather fitting image:

I actually walked away from a "stable" job specifically because of burnout... though, looking back, maybe I waited a beat too long. It's such a tricky thing to recognize in yourself. Sure, you can read all the books and articles about it, but experiencing it firsthand? That's a whole different animal. Honestly, it's a lot like alcoholism—all the red flags are there, but you're stuck telling yourself, "No, I don't have a problem." 😵

For me, it took months of basically torturing myself and everyone close to me before I finally realized that, quite literally— I was burnt out.

Ashley Vaughn79 said:But I suppose people react to stress differently; what feels overwhelming to one person might just feel like... well, a busy day to someone else. One thing at a time, I guess.

I’d venture to say a lot of it is all in your head.
And how you choose to handle the person causing the stress.

For me, nothing triggers my stress more than that passive-aggressive "hurry up, hurry up, this is urgent!" attitude.
I just can't stand it.

There is no emergency; where have these papers been sitting until now?
I'll let you know when it's done.

Or if my old boss dumped seven tasks on me all at once, I'd probably just walk into her office and ask her to set some priorities and tell me which order to go in.

But honestly, my job is pretty straightforward... you always know the deadlines ahead of time.
No stress there. 😁

When did you first receive that kind of response?
That behavior is typical of early career stages—where they try to overload you until you snap, and you haven't quite learned how to say "no" yet.

Solid management recognizes stress in their team and identifies the root causes.

Though, I do know people who seemingly can't function without a crisis.
People usually just label those types as difficult jerks. 🤣
Imposing your own frantic pace onto others is generally 🙂

ruggedscout76 said:I wouldn't say the dichotomy presented in the title is strictly necessary. Life is really about finding a sense of equilibrium, assuming one's circumstances and necessities permit such a luxury. There are moments when you simply have to take a job because there is no other option. However, if you do find yourself with a choice, it is vital to remember that true professional excellence is impossible if you burn yourself out entirely. One eventually reaches a breaking point when the mind or body is pushed beyond its natural limits. It is my belief that one must prioritize self-care first; only then can you truly offer anything of substance to others, whether in your personal life or your career.

Or, to put it more simply, there is a rather fitting image:

In my view, it isn't.
A healthy lifestyle doesn't automatically make you productive.
The standard in American corporate culture is that work should be organized—there shouldn't be any making up excuses or calls at inappropriate times.
It’s about transparency.
You have a specific workload and a specific amount of time.
Miracles aren't expected; you have a schedule.
You can manage your own time—and if you finish something ahead of schedule, you shouldn't be "rewarded" with someone else's workload.
"Hard work" is often a misconception.
It's about planned work.🧐

ruggedscout76 said:I wouldn't say the dichotomy presented in the title is strictly necessary. Life is really about finding a sense of equilibrium, assuming one's circumstances and necessities permit such a luxury. There are moments when you simply have to take a job because there is no other option. However, if you do find yourself with a choice, it is vital to remember that true professional excellence is impossible if you burn yourself out entirely. One eventually reaches a breaking point when the mind or body is pushed beyond its natural limits. It is my belief that one must prioritize self-care first; only then can you truly offer anything of substance to others, whether in your personal life or your career.

Or, to put it more simply, there is a rather fitting image:

I wouldn't say having a tough job is what drives productivity. Honestly, I think it's about doing productive work—doing something that actually benefits society so your job doesn't feel totally pointless.

I guess there is one story about work-life balance that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It isn't a pleasant memory. 😁

I was pretty new at a job back then, and maybe because I wasn't experienced enough, I kept trying too hard to prove myself professionally. That ended up leading to a massive amount of overtime and working through weekends.
That Saturday was no different.

As luck would have it, my parents had organized a big family dinner back in my hometown, and I fully intended to be there. But by that afternoon, I realized I wouldn't make my train, which meant missing the dinner entirely.

I called my mom to let her know I was stuck at the office, and the conversation basically ended with her saying, "Oh well, don't worry... there will be other dinners." 🙂
Life can be cruel, I suppose, because that actually turned out to be one of our last big family dinners; my mom passed away toward the end of that year.

It was just awful... like something out of a bad movie. 😁
The pay wasn't great either, since the company was struggling financially and my paycheck wasn't even consistently on time. 😁

Staying late didn't do me any favors, and missing that family dinner was even worse.
At least I developed that famous backbone of mine, and over time, I learned how to set boundaries so people couldn't manipulate me with the whole "we have so much work" excuse.

It's not that I'm not responsible—I always try to do my job correctly—but I started looking at why the overtime was piling up and why the stress was happening in the first place. Now, I just push that aside or stand my ground. I might ask, "Where was this data until now if it's such an emergency?" There is no such thing as an emergency if the info was available a week ago; it isn't my fault they dropped it on my desk so late. 🙂

I mean, sure, emergencies happen in extreme cases, but I stopped trying to fix everyone else's mistakes at the companies I worked for.

I take a fairly casual approach now, though I guess it's mostly just a defense mechanism.

I really can't stand companies that reward people just for staying late.
Because if you aren't staying late, they assume you aren't doing anything and aren't a good worker (or so my former colleague used to say).

Actually, it just means you know how to manage your time and finish your tasks in eight hours, whereas they are actually the ones who are incompetent. 😬

But, well... I just won't tolerate it.
Luckily, at my current job, I don't have to.

And I wouldn't go back to working for those massive corporations again... a smaller family-run business would always be my preference.

They are just... warmer. 🙂

Harold Smith87 said:I wouldn't say having a tough job is what drives productivity. Honestly, I think it's about doing productive work—doing something that actually benefits society so your job doesn't feel totally pointless.

There is a massive distinction between "hard work" and simply having a "difficult job."

Ashley Vaughn79 said:I guess there is one story about work-life balance that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It isn't a pleasant memory. 😁

I was pretty new at a job back then, and maybe because I wasn't experienced enough, I kept trying too hard to prove myself professionally. That ended up leading to a massive amount of overtime and working through weekends.
That Saturday was no different.

As luck would have it, my parents had organized a big family dinner back in my hometown, and I fully intended to be there. But by that afternoon, I realized I wouldn't make my train, which meant missing the dinner entirely.

I called my mom to let her know I was stuck at the office, and the conversation basically ended with her saying, "Oh well, don't worry... there will be other dinners." 🙂
Life can be cruel, I suppose, because that actually turned out to be one of our last big family dinners; my mom passed away toward the end of that year.

It was just awful... like something out of a bad movie. 😁
The pay wasn't great either, since the company was struggling financially and my paycheck wasn't even consistently on time. 😁

Staying late didn't do me any favors, and missing that family dinner was even worse.
At least I developed that famous backbone of mine, and over time, I learned how to set boundaries so people couldn't manipulate me with the whole "we have so much work" excuse.

It's not that I'm not responsible—I always try to do my job correctly—but I started looking at why the overtime was piling up and why the stress was happening in the first place. Now, I just push that aside or stand my ground. I might ask, "Where was this data until now if it's such an emergency?" There is no such thing as an emergency if the info was available a week ago; it isn't my fault they dropped it on my desk so late. 🙂

I mean, sure, emergencies happen in extreme cases, but I stopped trying to fix everyone else's mistakes at the companies I worked for.

I take a fairly casual approach now, though I guess it's mostly just a defense mechanism.

I really can't stand companies that reward people just for staying late.
Because if you aren't staying late, they assume you aren't doing anything and aren't a good worker (or so my former colleague used to say).

Actually, it just means you know how to manage your time and finish your tasks in eight hours, whereas they are actually the ones who are incompetent. 😬

But, well... I just won't tolerate it.
Luckily, at my current job, I don't have to.

And I wouldn't go back to working for those massive corporations again... a smaller family-run business would always be my preference.

They are just... warmer. 🙂

👍

I’ve worked for plenty of corporations, including a top-tier British firm that was number one globally. But I hated the thought of climbing the corporate ladder and dealing with all that red tape and bureaucracy whenever they planned transfers between countries.

Ashley Vaughn79 said:I guess there is one story about work-life balance that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It isn't a pleasant memory. 😁

I was pretty new at a job back then, and maybe because I wasn't experienced enough, I kept trying too hard to prove myself professionally. That ended up leading to a massive amount of overtime and working through weekends.
That Saturday was no different.

As luck would have it, my parents had organized a big family dinner back in my hometown, and I fully intended to be there. But by that afternoon, I realized I wouldn't make my train, which meant missing the dinner entirely.

I called my mom to let her know I was stuck at the office, and the conversation basically ended with her saying, "Oh well, don't worry... there will be other dinners." 🙂
Life can be cruel, I suppose, because that actually turned out to be one of our last big family dinners; my mom passed away toward the end of that year.

It was just awful... like something out of a bad movie. 😁
The pay wasn't great either, since the company was struggling financially and my paycheck wasn't even consistently on time. 😁

Staying late didn't do me any favors, and missing that family dinner was even worse.
At least I developed that famous backbone of mine, and over time, I learned how to set boundaries so people couldn't manipulate me with the whole "we have so much work" excuse.

It's not that I'm not responsible—I always try to do my job correctly—but I started looking at why the overtime was piling up and why the stress was happening in the first place. Now, I just push that aside or stand my ground. I might ask, "Where was this data until now if it's such an emergency?" There is no such thing as an emergency if the info was available a week ago; it isn't my fault they dropped it on my desk so late. 🙂

I mean, sure, emergencies happen in extreme cases, but I stopped trying to fix everyone else's mistakes at the companies I worked for.

I take a fairly casual approach now, though I guess it's mostly just a defense mechanism.

I really can't stand companies that reward people just for staying late.
Because if you aren't staying late, they assume you aren't doing anything and aren't a good worker (or so my former colleague used to say).

Actually, it just means you know how to manage your time and finish your tasks in eight hours, whereas they are actually the ones who are incompetent. 😬

But, well... I just won't tolerate it.
Luckily, at my current job, I don't have to.

And I wouldn't go back to working for those massive corporations again... a smaller family-run business would always be my preference.

They are just... warmer. 🙂

There's a lesson in there, though.
We all hit those moments in our careers—those little "trial by fire" experiences—that finally force us to grow a spine.

I don't want to be a buzzkill, but what does this thread even have to do with the States? 🤔

Fine, I'll take it as a "topic of the day," I guess... vent your frustrations, spit it out, and move on.

But seriously, who's going to pay to fix my mouse scroll wheel? Anyone? That's a genuine question!!!

If I wanted to read about health, I’d go to a medical journal. If I wanted business news, I’d check the Wall Street Journal. 🤷

Kimberly Lopez65 said:There's a lesson in there, though.
We all hit those moments in our careers—those little "trial by fire" experiences—that finally force us to grow a spine.

True, though I wish it hadn't been my story, or that I hadn't learned to just screw everything over and bow down to work in that way. 😁

Benjamin Taylor90 said:I don't want to be a buzzkill, but what does this thread even have to do with the States? 🤔

Fine, I'll take it as a "topic of the day," I guess... vent your frustrations, spit it out, and move on.

But seriously, who's going to pay to fix my mouse scroll wheel? Anyone? That's a genuine question!!!

If I wanted to read about health, I’d go to a medical journal. If I wanted business news, I’d check the Wall Street Journal. 🤷

Well, the title is right there, so you can always just skip it if it isn't your thing. 🙂

If the title doesn't grab you, or if you feel like these questions are being forced on you—it might just be a good sign that the topic isn't for you. 😁

We actually created that prefix a while back specifically so we could host threads that aren't strictly about the US, but for some reason, people still end up getting really passionate about them. 🙂

This takes me back to a lady I worked briefly with, and honestly, the job itself too.

To make a decent living, she was working as a housekeeper at some hotel overseas. She told me that once the season wrapped up, her whole life became a revolving door of specialists—doctors, physical therapists, you name it—just trying to fix the damage from the grind. A huge chunk of what she earned basically went right back into patching herself up. On the flip side, though, she brought home way more than she ever would have making stuff back home in the States.

It worked for her, but who knows how long you can keep that up? Some people wouldn't touch a deal like that for all the money in the world.
At the end of the day, it’s just about how much you can take, what you want, and what matters most—your health or your bank account. People always say finding a middle ground is the goal, but it's rarely that simple.

Personally, I'm choosing my health whenever I can in this economy.

stormygull36 said:I’m not really sure I follow the question.

See, my actual skill level at my job—and, you know, how much money I pull in—isn't really determined by how many hours I spend glued to my desk.

I work in IT, but not for some local firm; I strictly handle US-based clients, and most of the time, I’m just working from home.

So, I make it a point to get up every hour or so to take a quick 5 to 10-minute stroll around the yard with my dogs.
I try to squeeze in those little breaks because, well, that's what the experts say we should be doing. 🙂

And twice a week, I actually head over to the gym during one of my breaks.

Sometimes my workday drags on until about 8:00 PM, but honestly, when you have a healthy work culture, a great salary, and you're actually looking after your physical health, then the answer isn't an unknown choice—it's that I want to find a setup where I can kill it professionally without wrecking my spine.
And trust me, those kinds of workplaces definitely exist.

Unfulfilled dreams 😍

Harold Smith87 said:Your health takes a massive hit when you're stuck in a toxic work environment. You basically lose your will to live, which leads to making terrible decisions—and I guess the first bad call is just not quitting immediately.

Pretty much 🤣

Ashley Vaughn79 said:But I suppose people react to stress differently; what feels overwhelming to one person might just feel like... well, a busy day to someone else. One thing at a time, I guess.

I’d venture to say a lot of it is all in your head.
And how you choose to handle the person causing the stress.

For me, nothing triggers my stress more than that passive-aggressive "hurry up, hurry up, this is urgent!" attitude.
I just can't stand it.

There is no emergency; where have these papers been sitting until now?
I'll let you know when it's done.

Or if my old boss dumped seven tasks on me all at once, I'd probably just walk into her office and ask her to set some priorities and tell me which order to go in.

But honestly, my job is pretty straightforward... you always know the deadlines ahead of time.
No stress there. 😁

Agreed.👍

Ashley Vaughn79 said:I guess there is one story about work-life balance that I will remember for the rest of my life.
It isn't a pleasant memory. 😁

I was pretty new at a job back then, and maybe because I wasn't experienced enough, I kept trying too hard to prove myself professionally. That ended up leading to a massive amount of overtime and working through weekends.
That Saturday was no different.

As luck would have it, my parents had organized a big family dinner back in my hometown, and I fully intended to be there. But by that afternoon, I realized I wouldn't make my train, which meant missing the dinner entirely.

I called my mom to let her know I was stuck at the office, and the conversation basically ended with her saying, "Oh well, don't worry... there will be other dinners." 🙂
Life can be cruel, I suppose, because that actually turned out to be one of our last big family dinners; my mom passed away toward the end of that year.

It was just awful... like something out of a bad movie. 😁
The pay wasn't great either, since the company was struggling financially and my paycheck wasn't even consistently on time. 😁

Staying late didn't do me any favors, and missing that family dinner was even worse.
At least I developed that famous backbone of mine, and over time, I learned how to set boundaries so people couldn't manipulate me with the whole "we have so much work" excuse.

It's not that I'm not responsible—I always try to do my job correctly—but I started looking at why the overtime was piling up and why the stress was happening in the first place. Now, I just push that aside or stand my ground. I might ask, "Where was this data until now if it's such an emergency?" There is no such thing as an emergency if the info was available a week ago; it isn't my fault they dropped it on my desk so late. 🙂

I mean, sure, emergencies happen in extreme cases, but I stopped trying to fix everyone else's mistakes at the companies I worked for.

I take a fairly casual approach now, though I guess it's mostly just a defense mechanism.

I really can't stand companies that reward people just for staying late.
Because if you aren't staying late, they assume you aren't doing anything and aren't a good worker (or so my former colleague used to say).

Actually, it just means you know how to manage your time and finish your tasks in eight hours, whereas they are actually the ones who are incompetent. 😬

But, well... I just won't tolerate it.
Luckily, at my current job, I don't have to.

And I wouldn't go back to working for those massive corporations again... a smaller family-run business would always be my preference.

They are just... warmer. 🙂

Man, there's plenty more to say about that topic. 😁
But then again, I'm more the type who prefers social distance over warmth.

Ashley Vaughn79 said: 08/19. Is it better to be successful professionally but have poor spinal flow, or to be less successful at work but have good spinal flow? That's the question.

I'll just make a copy from my inbox. 🙂

Our lovely moderator asked me to expand this into an intro post for the topic of the day.
To be honest, I don't really remember what I intended to say.
Maybe I wrote this quite literally.

Basically, people spend a lot of time sitting at work.
It’s well known that life energy, or "chi," flows through the spine and circulates through the body. People who sit a lot have their spines compressed for most of the day, which stifles that energy flow.

The result is that professionals with desk jobs—which is almost everyone these days—start looking worn out and aged pretty quickly, often dealing with various physical ailments and mental struggles...
But because they are so dedicated to their careers, they earn a decent amount of money.

So, the question could be framed as whether it's worth sacrificing your health for the sake of your career and reputation. Have you ever been in a situation where you were offered a chance to sell yourself out to an employer for great money, but at the cost of ruining your health? Poorer health, better pay.
Is it worth it or not?

Then again, the thing about the spine could also be a metaphor for one's integrity, self-respect, or honor.
In other words, would you bow down and humiliate yourself for good money?

That's roughly how the topic could go.
However, the moderator mentioned she might enrich the thread by sharing an uncomfortable story from her own private life. If she feels like it, she can add that story to the thread. It would make things more interesting.
If not, here are the questions:

Is it worth sacrificing your health for your job and professional reputation? Have you faced situations where you could sell yourself out to an employer for big money, but only if you ruined your health? Is it worth it?
Would you humiliate yourself for good money?

____________________________
I left the original version after all. 😁
Thanks, Tomislav B. ____________________________🙂

____________________________
The topic was pulled from 65. posts in Topic of the Day.

My ultimate dream is to find a way to blend creative, artistic, perhaps even design-oriented work with manual labor—working the land, being around animals, breathing clean air, and eating as much as possible from my own garden. I want enough free time to be surrounded by the people I love and have the freedom to enjoy my passions (for instance, I absolutely love sailing our boat and wandering through the American coastlines and beyond).

That’s the vision, of course; it doesn't mean everything will align perfectly or exactly how I've pictured it right now, but that ideal represents a certain personal balance between professional success and private happiness, and I am slowly making my way toward it. That's more than enough of an answer for me regarding whether I have the stomach to spend my entire life stuck in some office, working overtime for someone else, destroying my health, and essentially selling out just for the sake of a pile of cash. To hell with the money and those "super-duper" high-status jobs if you lose everything else in the process, leaving you with nothing but a reputation as a professional tool that people only value for what you can do for them.