I have discovered that my level of work ethic has evolved over the years. For school work and even physical activity, my work ethic has historically been high. I dislike turning in assignments late, I can definitely lift that last weight properly even when my coach isn’t looking, and despise disappointing people if it is due to my inability to properly finish a task. These traits have predisposed me to be a successful student in most academic settings.

However, it has taken some time to mold my sense of work into something that won’t run me into the ground on a daily basis, and even then I still run into trouble. Work ethic is fantastic and valuable, but there is a point where it becomes too much. When your drive to finish a project prevents you from eating, going outside, or even taking a five minute break once a day, it consumes you.

When your work ethic makes eating frustrating because it takes too much time away from working and the only break you have this week was a break-down in your dorm, it becomes toxic. I’ve been there. That was junior year of highschool. I had to take a step back and critically examine what I was putting my priorities toward. What did I value most in my life at the moment, and how was I going about achieving that?

Through remarkably little introspection, I found that those priorities were firmly placed on academics and little else. My work ethic was good, but I was allowing it to drive me toward a point where I couldn’t do anything but work.

I still struggle with limiting what I allow my work ethic to drive me toward. I’m interested in too many things and want to be involved in all of them. I found myself in a similar position last semester as I had been in junior year. I forced myself to take a step back and drop a class I loved and had been waiting to take for a full semester. It broke my heart, but it allowed me to put my effort toward other things in my life. Overloading on work limits almost all other aspects of life. It doesn’t allow a person to develop different facets of themselves. It is a sacrifice.

Putting the full force of a good work ethic towards academics is worthwhile, but I’ve found that sometimes it is too much. Those involved in academia need to develop the skills to step back to examine their life and find a balance.