I enjoyed your story. Unlike you, I feel my values were shaped very much by family growing up in New England. At the same time, entering professional life, I adapted to the pressures to perform and advance and found myself working nearly constantly. At one point, working in a medical environment, I worked for three years without vacation…
I enjoyed your story. Unlike you, I feel my values were shaped very much by family growing up in New England. At the same time, entering professional life, I adapted to the pressures to perform and advance and found myself working nearly constantly. At one point, working in a medical environment, I worked for three years without vacation, generally 7 days a week. When we left the U.S. for Ireland I took this work culture with me and continued working long hours, even though those around me lived a strict M-F, 9-5 work week. It took me years to get the U.S. working culture out of my system.
As for values, what I would say is that I came to realise that they are not just personal attributes, those these are important too. In Europe, at least in the EU, those values are reflected in the constitutional regulations of the state, its social services, and its political life. We live more calmly and with a greater sense of peace and well-being living here (now in France) than we ever felt in the US with all its stressors and reasons to feel insecure.
I'm happy that you've also found such a place for you.
Hi John, thank you for your comment and the personal insights you shared! I can also somewhat relate to bringing the workaholism with us to wherever we move. I have been known to work long hours, 7 days a week her in Portugal too but eventually chose not to and I believe it was based on the culture here.
Working 7 days a week for 3 years with no vacation sounds difficult, even if you love what you do. I'm so glad to hear you no longer have to do that!
The values conversation really is ongoing, isn't it? You make very good points about how the values are reflected here in the EU as opposed to the US.
I'm thrilled to hear you're now living a calmer life too in France! 🤗🤗🤗
I enjoyed your story. Unlike you, I feel my values were shaped very much by family growing up in New England. At the same time, entering professional life, I adapted to the pressures to perform and advance and found myself working nearly constantly. At one point, working in a medical environment, I worked for three years without vacation, generally 7 days a week. When we left the U.S. for Ireland I took this work culture with me and continued working long hours, even though those around me lived a strict M-F, 9-5 work week. It took me years to get the U.S. working culture out of my system.
As for values, what I would say is that I came to realise that they are not just personal attributes, those these are important too. In Europe, at least in the EU, those values are reflected in the constitutional regulations of the state, its social services, and its political life. We live more calmly and with a greater sense of peace and well-being living here (now in France) than we ever felt in the US with all its stressors and reasons to feel insecure.
I'm happy that you've also found such a place for you.
Hi John, thank you for your comment and the personal insights you shared! I can also somewhat relate to bringing the workaholism with us to wherever we move. I have been known to work long hours, 7 days a week her in Portugal too but eventually chose not to and I believe it was based on the culture here.
Working 7 days a week for 3 years with no vacation sounds difficult, even if you love what you do. I'm so glad to hear you no longer have to do that!
The values conversation really is ongoing, isn't it? You make very good points about how the values are reflected here in the EU as opposed to the US.
I'm thrilled to hear you're now living a calmer life too in France! 🤗🤗🤗