What Jobs Do You Have?
by Brendan Ahern
“I wanted to get into shape again, you know,” says Justin MacLennan. “I wanted to have the kind of energy that I’d need to do my job.”
Since 2013, Justin has been working as the business manager at a local car dealership in Antigonish. He arranges payment plans and finances for the dealership’s customers. This role includes the responsibility of connecting with the customer’s auto insurance provider for the appropriate coverage.
“Some of the people who are buying a new car enter into my office with a lot of uncertainty, and so a big part of my job is to earn their trust.”
Justin also has another people-oriented “job”, and it’s a 24/7 kind of gig. He’s a father of 3! So Justin has to wait to exercise until after his children go to bed. He runs a few nights a week. When he started, he was about 30 pounds heavier than he is now.
Like so many of us, Justin juggles different roles in his life. With 58% of Canadians reporting feelings of “overload” resulting from pressures associated with their work and personal lives, it’s important that we all take the notion of “work-life” balance seriously, and make time somewhere in our already busy schedules to look after ourselves.
Some of us might devote that time to exercising, but maybe you will use it differently. Maybe you will visit extended family members or learn to play guitar or finally read one of those novels on your reading list.
The hard work and determination that we bring to our professional lives is evident in the strength of our community businesses around Nova Scotia, but it’s also important that we show care for the people we love—including ourselves!
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