Author: Sagesse Bezalel
She storms into the room, heels clicking like punctuation marks with her phone glued to her ears, her laptop bag with her assistant, and a tote bag stuffed with a planner, lip gloss, and probably a half-eaten granola bar. She’s always giving Monday; conquered, Tuesday; Slayed, all day, “booked, busy, and better than ever.” You can’t help but overhear her say, “I haven’t had a weekend off in three months, but I’m still running the world. I love the grind!”
We clap for her, we repost her, we aspire to be her. There’s a quiet pressure to be constantly in motion, to be unavailable and overworked, closing deals, emailing after midnight, and still managing to post a picture with the caption; “Another day, another bag’, all in the name of ambition.
But here’s the truth: being “booked and busy” doesn’t automatically make you important. It doesn’t make you powerful. And it certainly doesn’t mean you’re okay. On the other hand, if you dare to admit that you watched Netflix on a Thursday evening instead of checking emails? You’re instantly labeled unserious. Somewhere along the line, we confused exhaustion with excellence. We decided that if you weren’t multitasking at all hours, you weren’t doing enough. Rest became a guilty pleasure, fun became a luxury, and saying “I have time” became an admission of failure. We have exonerated the grind and labeled balance as mediocre.
But here’s the reality check: you can fill every slot in your planner and still feel empty. You can stack your résumé and still not feel whole. You can’t pour from an empty cup, even if it is a monogrammed one. The idea that your entire existence should revolve around work is not sustainable.
According to King Solomon, what do workers gain from their toil? Seeing that all that toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Yes, be ambitious. Chase the bag. Secure the role. Launch the brand. But don’t sacrifice your health, your relationships, or your humanity just to be seen as a tireless worker. Because one day, when the calendar clears and the work quiets, you’ll want more than reminders of meetings and memories of missed birthdays. There’d be no replacement for the love, clarity, peace, and a sense of balance outside of productivity. Because the goal isn’t just to survive the hustle, it’s to enjoy the life you’re working so hard to build, and being balanced doesn’t mean you lack drive; it means you have direction. It means you’re choosing to build a life that nourishes you, not one that drains you.
Anyways, ponmo will always be mid sha! Have some snack.
Mhmm, It was nice and inspiring read.