The Most Unforgettable Sentence Of My Life

Are We Working to Live or Living to Work?

Sonia Chauhan
2 min readAug 22, 2022

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-chair-while-leaning-on-laptop-3791136/

Back in 2011, at my first job, I was a mad worker. High heels and pencil skirts. All nighters and desk dinners. Weekend work and team huddles. I did it all and I loved it all.

Or did I?

I guess I never really thought about whether I loved my life as a corporate employee. I just followed the path laid out for an above-average college graduate.

I used to feel like I was a part of a certain corporation. The office, my desk, my computer, my CISCO phone — everything felt like an extension of myself. It was where I spent most of my days. For years, I did that. And for years, I felt a real camaraderie with my corporation. Like I was a part of something bigger than myself.

I was in the middle of leading this massive project. We’d been working for two weeks without a break. So, one morning, I walked up to a colleague’s desk. He looked very chirpy and fresh. And somehow, looking at him, I just sort of felt a bit jealous of his relaxed aura.

He patted my arm. “Busy, eh?”

I creaked my neck. “You don’t know. It’s crazy over there.”

“Hmmm,” he gave a gentle smile. A mysterious smile.

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Sonia Chauhan

I eat diamonds for breakfast | Corporate Lawyer | TW - Quora | Author - THIS MAZE OF MIRRORS (Amazon Pen To Publish Awards 2022)