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Being in the military, I know more about my job taking over my life than most anyone could ever imagine. In the military, you are never off work, you are always on call, and you sometimes find yourself working 24 hours a day, 365 days per year in some of the worst conditions imaginable. With so many expectations placed on us and so many requirements of our life, we find out that we don't just have a job, we have a lifestyle.

However, even if you aren't in the military, many jobs are becoming the same way. With technology becoming more intrusive, many people are no longer leaving work when they leave their office. Thanks to cell phones, we are now inviting work into our homes, to dinner, to the store, to our kid's soccer games, whatever. The problem is that if we don't answer our cell phones then we could miss out on something that could potentially be important. So at times it becomes more risky to not answer a phone call than it is to just take the call and see what is happening.

Another problem is the internet and email. With the use of home email in business dealings, many are finding that once they get home, they aren't as off duty as they thought. They are finding that they have to still answer emails regarding work once they get home. This is especially true for those that are salespeople or have high positions within a company. As a sales person, your life is taken away even more, as your ability to provide for yourself and your family depends solely on your dedication to your job. This means that you have to be willing to accept phone calls from potential clients whenever is convenient to them, you have to be willing to work late or make house calls, and you have to be willing to answer their emails in a timely manner. The risk of not answering these calls or working outside of your hours is that they will find someone that will. This of course means that if you want to be truly successful, you have to be willing to sacrifice a part of your personal life. This of course can create issues within your family, who depend on you to give them your personal time and attention.

Even going on a break or taking a lunch can become a hassle as we are becoming more connected to our employers. They can email our phones, text message us, two way page us, or just call us and talk to us. It doesn't matter what you are doing, no time is considered sacred anymore. This includes when you would normally take a break to use the restroom. I have found that more and more people are using their phones to talk to clients while using the bathroom, which is a whole different level of dedication.

Regardless, technology is only going to increase and the invasion into our own personal lives will surely only become worse over time.

Learn more about this author, Clacky McSnackins.
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