The Cause of Sickness

As you can probably discern from the volume of my recent blog output, I’ve been out sick. This made me think of the root cause of sickness or at least of the common cold.

Doctors tell us that virus and bacteria cause infectious diseases. If I recall correctly, viruses cause most colds. While that is true, not getting enough sleep, breathing in cold damp air, and eating junk food contribute to a weakened immune system. So while I don’t have direct control over the true root cause, I do have direct control over several of the contributing factors.

What does this have to do with work balance? We often experience a similar conundrum at work. We have little or no control over the root cause of a problem or barrier. Therefore, always take positive action over contributing factors that are within your sphere of influence. Complaining about issues we can’t control is about as effective as yelling at a microbe.