Overcoming Work Addiction: Step 6 – New Perspective
Updated: Feb 10, 2021
It’s kinda tough for an entrepreneur to admit weaknesses. I’m supposed to be this renegade innovator that doesn’t play by the rules, able to withstand a storm of issues, and at the front line of any business battle.
I’m used to fixing everything, doing everything, being everything. It’s my business, after all. In becoming more aware of my work addiction, I’ve come to terms with the good and bad news: this isn’t something I can fix.
The reality is that us entrepreneurs are addicted to working. We’re looking to fill an empty space that can only be filled by God. Left to ourselves and our own efforts, we feel empty and lacking in our business. The bad news that we must come to terms with is that it’s impossible for us to find complete peace and wholeness….on our own.
So where do we go from here? Just live with it for the rest of our lives?
The bible says
"For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." Psalms 32 3-5
Like the bible verse about notes, there’s bad news…but there’s also good news!
The bad news is that we’re all dry bones, wasting away….until we actually acknowledge that we have an addiction and that we want to turn away from it!.
And God didn’t design it for us to do it alone. God has given us Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God has weakened the grip of all our work addictions. And as we recognize what Jesus has done for us, our addition to working so much gradually loses its power with the help of the Holy Spirit. We’ve recognized our work addiction and patterns and objects around it! Now let that lead us to God’s perspective.
4 Questions That Lead to God’s Perspective
What business and work related situations cause me to be uncomfortable?
This is the trigger that causes feelings of discomfort or stress. These situations lead us to seek out working more to make us feel better.
In running my business, what emotions or feelings are the most uncomfortable for me to sit with?
The role of the addiction and your work addiction object would be to soothe this discomfort. We each have certain feelings that scare us or make us feel exposed to more potential hurt in our businesses. We want to soothe it and get immediate relief ASAP. Our addiction object is our quick fix.
What wrong decisions would I like to hit a rewind button and do all over again?
These are our addiction objects. They could be cell phone use, staying up late to do more work, launching a product, starting a totally new business, missing dinner with the family to work, isolation at the office, controlling behavior over employees or contractors, verbal manipulation of clients, and so many more.
What would a godly perspective of your stressful situation look like, or what would God say to me to help me?
This helps us step back and evaluate the stressful situation knowing God is in control, loves us, and has a loving purpose for the particular stress in our life. I see it like a “check engine” light, an opportunity to grow! He will also provide peace, soothing, relief from our burden, and power over temptation.
Recognizing easy things we turn to at work to soothe our work addiction is easy. Uncovering behavioral addiction objects (like snapping at employees or manipulating clients) can be a bit trickier. Knowing that God wants to take us through it, that’s amazing!.
Imagine a world where, through intentional self-reflection, using these tips, we all see God’s loving purpose while accessing His deep healing for our entrepreneurial life.
Godpreneur Rule #59: Godpreneurs self-reflect to uncover areas where God wants to break us…to heal us back stronger.