Being a caregiver means contributing one’s mental and physical resources to the support of their family and close people. As mentioned in the video, the caregiving process enhances the senses of patience, responsibility, and resilience (TED, 2014). Additionally, one of the main traits that come with consistent caregiving is empathy, as the time spent with loved people and the ability to identify their needs improves one’s perception of other people, their needs, and emotions.
The choice between the family and the career that the speaker made is difficult due to the evaluation of possible sacrifices. On the one hand, the focus on the career would take away the precious time with the loved ones. On the other, choosing a family would mean potentially giving up on the working ambitions and higher income. However, I would make the same decision since, as mentioned by the speaker, work-life and family life stimulate each other and exist as complementing elements of life (TED, 2014). Thus, it seems natural to prioritize the family rather than sacrifice the caregiving for a career.
Once there is enough time for the loved ones in a person’s life, they feel more empathetic, caring, and motivated. As mentioned previously, being a caregiver enhances specific traits that are extremely helpful in the working process. Hence, prioritizing the family can lead to the development of certain characteristics that would help a person to work more efficiently without sacrificing their time with their loved ones. However, if I had to choose between healthy family life and a successful career strictly, I would go for the first option. I genuinely value human communication, care, and empathy, and I think that without a healthy family, I would not be able to enjoy my life naturally.
Reference
TED. (2014). Anne-Marie Slaughter: Can we all “have it all”? [Video]. YouTube. Web.