> the problem is that they worked too hard on things that, at the end of the day, weren't as important to them as they thought. It's as simple as that. You hav

> the problem is that they worked too hard on things that, at the end of the day, weren't as important to them as they thought. It's as simple as that. You have to work on the right stuff, and very often it's a matter of perspective. One angle - if you can look at work as play, then it changes everything. You're engaged in a challenging exercise and looking for ways to take it to the next level while learning a lot in the process. If you can engage that way, with each task being a stepping stone rather than a chore, then it's a totally different mindset. The other thing - it's easy to say "I wish I didn't work as hard" and somehow imagining the more leisurely version of yourself having the same lifestyle, but obviously what we have (eg, financial security for our family) is an outcome of the work we do. It feels to me like "I wish I didn't work as hard" is a lament of a well-off person who somehow doesn't connect their situation to the work. A person who actually sees the direct connection between their hours worked and family safety would never say this. Life is a trade-off and we have roles to play. Sure it's great to see your kid 24/7 but do you want to do that living under the bridge in poverty? There's of course a balance to strike between the two but the acceptable range is actually pretty narrow.