Dr. Gabor Maté shares one priceless lesson 'Winnie the Pooh' taught him about work-life balance

Dr. Gabor Maté, an author, passionate speaker, and expert on addiction, stress, and childhood development, has been an inspiration to many, but, surprisingly, he learned one of his most priceless life lessons from a Disney animation character. That's right! Well, Dr. Maté was in conversation with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, a physician and author, when he offered a life lesson he learned from the book "Winnie the Pooh," and it's something we all need to hear.

"If I were to choose to live my life over again, I wouldn't live it in this way," Dr. Maté confessed, explaining how the end of the children's book always made him emotional. In the epilogue, Christopher Robin, the little boy, confronts his best friend, Pooh, and tells him that he will resume school the next day. They share a moment of silence as they realize they won't be spending much time together. However, Robin and Pooh promised each other to always meet in the enchanted forest, where their friendship blossomed. Now, Dr. Maté used the epilogue to highlight how we often forget our loved ones while chasing validation in the materialistic world. "What I wasn’t aware of when I went to medical school and later as a physician for decades was how driven I was to justify my existence in the world," he said.

"I worked too hard. When you’re driven to work too hard, you actually ignore what matters. People sacrifice their playfulness and joyfulness for the sake of being accepted and being successful," Dr. Maté added, explaining how it's important to be Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin and prioritize people over materialistic gains. "We can always keep playing in the enchanted forest. That’s just essential, I think," he concluded.

Work-life balance is something most people today struggle with. Long hours at the workplace leave people with no time to spend with their close ones. In fact, according to a report by Hubstaff, research has found that 40% of working professionals say a poor work-life balance negatively affects their time with family and friends. 

Meanwhile, when Evan Carmichael, a YouTuber, shared Dr. Gabor Maté's takeaway from the popular fictional character, the response was just unreal. For example, a person,@helenjones4550, commented, "When my aunt was in the hospital dying from cancer, her family sat around her bed and read 'Winnie the Pooh' from beginning to end. She died the next day after hours of joy and laughter. May her soul rest in peace. @mira-gu6we wrote, "I understand what he's saying. In my early 20s, I saw no value in adulthood. So I kept my childlike innocence and playfulness, but I was shamed, and I did not care. However, it took encountering a malignant narcissist to force me to 'grow up.' It's still there, right under the surface, my childhood self."

Echoing the sentiments, @mrydobon confessed, "I feel this guy. I spent my best years driving to reach the top of my field, and when I got there, all I felt was regret for all the time I had sacrificed." Similarly, a user, @machineey1991, shared, "Next time you're stressed out at work, working late and not getting paid for it. Think about it — it's not worth it. The real things that matter in life are your loved ones — kids, parents, siblings, friends, etc. — and not the higher-up corporate people who are pushing you to get stuff done over emails, getting their ego boost. Leave work on time, close that laptop right on your last minute, and get home to what really matters." @mugsybrown said, "Listen to this man while you’re young, and you’ll never get any better advice in your entire lifetime." 

You can follow Evan Carmichael (@evancarmichaelshorts) on YouTube for more motivational podcasts.