Monday Motivation: Don’t Work TOO Hard
From the Wikipedia entry on Labor Day:
The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes (”Nine-Hour Movement”) first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Canada in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872 in Canada. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers’ strike led to an annual celebration in Canada. In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired from Canadian events in Toronto, he returned to New York and organized the first American “labor day” on September 5 of the same year.
People have fought for workers’ rights for many years now so that people who worked in factories and farms and stores and everywhere else wouldn’t have to work overly long days.
Isn’t it a little funny, then, how many of us in offices go right on working overly long days?
If today is a holiday for you, as it is for most of our readers, use this day as you choose. You can even choose to work a bit, to get a leg up on your workload and your competition.
But do remember to take some time for yourself, too. And remember that work is about supporting ourselves and providing for our passions. It’s wonderful when our work happens to be our passion, but it can make it hard to escape and get some much-needed time away and perspective. This is a day perfectly suited for that time and perspective.
Happy Labor Day! Enjoy it. We’ll see you back at work tomorrow.
