SOS: Is This Actually Unhealthy?

01/26/26

STORY

Alex and I just got back from a vacation in Mexico.

Warm weather.

Beaches.

Relaxation.

And every morning, we opened our laptops.

Some days for 30 minutes.

Other days for longer.

Work-life balance experts would say, “This is exactly what you shouldn’t do on vacation.”

I get the concern.

But here’s the question I kept coming back to:

What if you love your work?

What if working a little actually enhances your vacation instead of ruining it?

During those mornings, I wrote in my book.

I prepped content.

I checked in with my team.

Not because I was anxious or afraid.

Because I care.

Because I enjoy the work.

Because I wanted to support my team.

I was fueled by passion, not fear.

Now, this won’t be right for everyone.

And that’s the point.

Too often, we think in binaries: right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy.

But in many cases, the activity isn’t the issue.

What matters is what’s fueling it.

If you’re working from love and alignment, that’s one thing.

If you’re working from anxiety or compulsion, that’s another.

Same action.

Very different source.

So here’s the takeaway:

Don’t just look at what you’re doing.

Pay attention to why you’re doing it.

Understand what’s fueling you.

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OBSERVATION

Research shows that the impact of work on our well-being isn’t just about how much we work, but why we work. Studies on passion find that when work is fueled by choice and enjoyment, it enhances energy and satisfaction, while the same work driven by pressure or fear leads to stress and burnout.

(Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, “On the role of passion in performance”, 2007)

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STRATEGY

Be mindful of what’s fueling you this week.

Every so often…

Take a clarity break…

And become interested in the source of your activity.

Are your actions fueled by passion, interest, and positivity?

Or are they fueled by fear, anxiety, and negativity?

Having the awareness and the understanding will help you tremendously in ensuring you’re aligned and productive this week.

Rooting for you,
Jay (encouraging you to know what’s fueling you)

Global keynote speaker
Host of the “Unstuck” podcast
A decent Spanish-speaker