when I'm out of balance, my work becomes my…

Page 182 when I'm out of balance, my work becomes my identity. I lose my uniqueness, because everything depends on how my day went. I stopped working for joy, for making a difference, for helping people. My life becomes just work, a big to do list. When I'm not in balance, I tend to be unhappy, and I tend to go toward the backside of the energy circle. I'm fearful, focused on problems in the reasons things can't be done. My energy is gone, as our creative, thinking, and clarity of thought. I can't do either me or the world any good. And, remember, since we go toward what we focus on, I'm assured of getting more of whatever I'm concentrating on. More problems, more fear, more things that don't get done.

— from Fuel (Energy)

In the book

The first and most common is burning all four tanks to fill just one. The classic version is the person who pours everything into physical achievement and professional output while the emotional and spiritual tanks run dry — and one day discovers that when work becomes the whole identity, a single bad day can hollow him out entirely. We grow, in truth, only by expanding our capacity past its normal limits and then recovering — pushing and refueling in rhythm — but the driven person learns only the pushing and never the recovery. — Fuel (Energy)

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