Among wealthy developed nations, the United States stands out as placing an oversized emphasis on what we do for a living. Americans work more hours and use less vacation time than our peers in similarly developed nations. We are encouraged at a young age to define ourselves by what we do as a profession or vocation (e.g., "What do you want to be when you grow up?"), not who we are as humans and the content of our character. When we meet new people one of the first questions we ask is, "What do you do?" We often define ourselves by our work, which is why when Americans retire they are often so unhappy because their identity was so closely intertwined with their work.

This inquiry is a logical extension of a previous Well-Being Wednesday segment in which we learned from Sarah Knight about the importance of "giving fewer, better f**ks," prioritizing the things about which we really care and de-prioritizing or restructuring our lives to move away from those things that really don't matter to us. The pandemic has prompted many Americans to reconsider the role that work plays in their lives and how they balance work and their personal lives. What role do you want work to play in your life? How does your stance compare to the views of your family/parents? Has the pandemic changed how you view the role of work in your life?

I am almost 50 and wish I had thought more about these things when I was an undergraduate in my early 20s. It probably wouldn't have meant as much to me then as it does now but it is my hope that you find something of value in the resources I offer below to help you develop a life-long trajectory of happiness that does not become work-focused by default. Instead, I hope you are able to intentionally define your work-life balance in a way that works for you.

As has been repeated by others, folks who are at the end of their lives rarely, if ever, look back on their lives and wish they had spent more time in meetings, more time at the office and/or thinking about their bank account balance. Typically, those nearing death are thinking about the relationships they had with others and how they treated others. May you not have to be 40, 50 or 100 years old before these priorities come into focus for you--toward that end, I hope you find something of value in the stuff below.