--- title: "Do You Work to Live or Live to Work? Why the Answer Might Be: Yes" description: Do you work to live or live to work? Discover why both can be true and how Gallup’s 5 Elements of Wellbeing help you navigate life’s shifting priorities with self-awareness and impact. image: https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/change%20of%20seasons.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/do-you-work-to-live-or-live-to-work-why-the-answer-might-be-yes#main-content) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png?width=3000&height=2000&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png "Spark Engagement logo")](https://www.sparkengagement.com) - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - Search Search Search ![](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/change%20of%20seasons.jpeg) # Do You Work to Live or Live to Work? Why the Answer Might Be: Yes ![Karin Martino](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/MakenaLeePhotography-5045-1.jpg) [Karin Martino June 16, 2025](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/author/karin-martino) - 4 mins #### It’s a question people love to debate: **Do you work to live, or live to work?** Here’s my take: **both are okay because life doesn’t stay in one lane.** We go through seasons where different aspects of life need more from us. Some seasons are demanding. Others are spacious. And through it all, we’re navigating what it means to thrive - not in theory, but in real, everyday life. Gallup offers a helpful lens: wellbeing isn’t one thing. It’s made up of **five distinct but connected elements**: 1. **Career Wellbeing** – You like what you do each day. 2. **Social Wellbeing** – You have meaningful friendships in your life. 3. **Financial Wellbeing** – You manage your money well and feel secure. 4. **Physical Wellbeing** – You have the energy to do what you want to do. 5. **Community Wellbeing** – You feel connected to the area where you live. These five areas don’t all burn brightly at once. They **fluctuate in intensity**, depending on our circumstances. But together, they always create one whole. When one element dims, the others can hold steady. When one strengthens, it often lifts the rest. --- ### Seasons of Shift There have been - and continue to be - many days when my **family needs to be front and center**. Parenting a child with disabilities and mental health challenges requires daily advocacy, complex care coordination, and emotional bandwidth I sometimes struggle to find. When my family’s needs are high, my **social and community wellbeing** become very localized - centered at home. And I’ve had to learn that sometimes, **that is enough** for large portions of this season of life. About nine years ago, there was **cancer**. During diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, **physical wellbeing became the sole focus**. Everything else moved to the back burner. And yet, I didn’t do it alone. Friends, family, and colleagues held up the parts I couldn’t carry. The **social and community wellbeing** I had intentionally nurtured earlier in life paid dividends during this time. I was surrounded by people who showed up when I needed them most. I’d love to say I moved smoothly between these areas of wellbeing and paused without guilt, but the truth is, **being kind to myself and accepting my limits, especially when it meant pulling back on my family’s needs, didn’t come naturally**. Back then, I wrestled with guilt for not doing more, being more, pushing through. Slowly, I learned that **caring for myself wasn’t weakness - it was wisdom**. By tending to my own needs, I was supporting the other areas of my life, even if the impact wasn’t obvious or immediate. And even now, I continue to make **intentional choices** to support my physical wellbeing, so it hopefully doesn’t need to become the focal point again. Now, in this season of building **Spark Engagement**, I’m energized by my **career wellbeing**. I feel aligned, inspired, and ready to grow. And it’s not by accident. **Career wellbeing has been found to be the most impactful of all five areas/ When it’s strong, it has a ripple effect on the rest.** That’s why I focus on it in my work, and in my own life. And let’s be honest - I’m all about effective efficiency. **It’s how I can make the biggest impact in the lives of others, too.** But I’m continuously learning to listen when other areas of wellbeing bubble up to the surface - when my kids need more of me, when my body signals burnout, when my community calls. These shifts don’t mean failure. They mean **I’m noticing. I'm paying attention**. And I do my best to honor that.   --- ### The Real Question So maybe it’s not **“do you work to live or live to work?”** Maybe the better question is: **Which part of your wellbeing needs your attention right now?** There’s no perfect balance - just a practice of noticing, adjusting, and honoring what you need. And if you’re fortunate enough to work in a place that sees your whole self - not just your output - you can move through these seasons with **support instead of sacrifice**. Because thriving isn’t about doing it all at once. It’s about **knowing what matters most right now - while staying rooted in the whole of who you are.** ![Karin Martino](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/MakenaLeePhotography-5045-1.jpg) ### Karin Martino Karin Martino is the founder of Spark Engagement and a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach trained in Gallup's Q12 Engagement framework. With a Master's in Educational Leadership and certifications in Daniel Goleman and Six Seconds EQ models and training in Dare to Lead, Karin develops emotionally intelligent and effective people leaders - combining the inner work of emotional intelligence with the practical people leadership skills that help leaders and their teams truly thrive. ![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png?width=2000&height=1333&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png "Spark Engagement logo") **Site Map**   - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - [Terms & Conditions](https://sparkengagement.com/service-agreement-and-terms-conditions) **Contact**   Spark Engagement, LLC   PO Box 1350 Grafton, WI 53024   (414) 66-SPARK   info@sparkengagement.com © 2026 Spark Engagement, LLC Follow Us [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-martino) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Karin Martino", "url" : "https://sparkengagement.com/blog/author/karin-martino" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-16T13:00:01.129Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-16T13:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Do You Work to Live or Live to Work? Why the Answer Might Be: Yes", "image" : [ "https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/change%20of%20seasons.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://sparkengagement.com/blog/do-you-work-to-live-or-live-to-work-why-the-answer-might-be-yes", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png" }, "name" : "Spark Engagement, LLC" } } ```