I push open the door to my dad's office and nearly gasp at the scene: he sits at his computer, his face dripping with sweat, as his fingers flying over the keyboard, while papers are strewn all around him. Lined across his desk are unfinished cups of coffee in various stages of temperature, and wads of tobacco he has spit into napkins. All day and night he has been sitting at his desk working, working, working--and that's how he loves it. He is a workaholic: he thrives on stress, deadlines, pushing himself to the max, working until he can work not a second more.
Now picture this: a mother gets up at 6:30 in the morning to make her two children breakfast before they have to go to school; then she washes her son's baseball uniform so it will be clean that day for his big game. She finishes the last few rows on the hat she is crocheting for her daughter's first day at kindergarten so her daughter will be happy about a present, and be kept warm. After she drops her children off at school she goes to the grocery store and buys all of the food she needs for that week, stops by the post office to mail her bills on time, and heads home where she proceeds to clean house for a few hours. Then she relaxes in the afternoon, enjoying the satisfaction that she has accomplished all she needed to do.
There is a distinct difference between these two individuals: the first is a flat-out workaholic, the second is what we would call a "hard worker." The workaholic doesn't enjoy relaxing after a job well-done; he doesn't work towards the goal of free-time once the chore is over. He is addicted to work, and hates having "nothing to do", in other words, freetime is his enemy, and he will work as much as possible to avoid it. The hard worker, on the other hand, is usually working to accomplish what needs to be done. He may enjoy his work, but also loves relaxing after his work, and know when to stop. The workaholic has an addiction; the hard worker is responsible and leads a balanced life, knowing when to kick back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
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