Husband Loses Wife Because Of His Focus On Work - Urges Others To Do Better

Mar 31, 2022 by apost team

Landing your dream job or a good-paying job can be extremely exciting yet incredibly stressful. While some people enjoy staying busy and embrace the mindset of grinding nonstop, others choose to spend their time differently if they are able to. It's important to learn how to find a good home life and work-life balance. Unfortunately, some people are not able to do this and end up losing something incredibly valuable to them.

A man went to Reddit in January 2022 to share his story in the r/antiwork forum. The subreddit forum is dedicated to those who want to embrace a work-free life, talk about the pros of choosing personal life over professional life or want advice on job-related struggles.

The original poster (OP) wanted to warn others about how they shouldn't dedicate all of their time to their job and instead focus on what really matters – the people you love. He explained how he ended up getting a high-pressure job a few years into his relationship with his wife. He began working late, working on weekends and even working on holidays and vacations. 

OP consistently chose working over spending time with his wife because he wanted to make enough money to build a great future for the two of them. However, his wife was left alone, leading to her feeling extremely unhappy, and the marriage ultimately suffered in the long run. Since then, OP has shared some words of advice to those living a similar lifestyle. Read on to find out more about this man's hard-learned lesson.

Struggling To Find A Balance

Starting off his Reddit post, OP said, "My job ruined my marriage. A cautionary tale. Don't let work destroy your life." He continued, "I met my (soon to be ex) wife eight years ago. We loved each other and had a great time together. I got a high pressure job a few years in that my bosses claimed would be worth it in the long run."

OP said that he "embraced the grind lifestyle," and worked late, worked weekends, worked holidays and worked while on vacation, leaving his wife alone most of the time. "I kept telling her it was for our future and would eventually pay off," OP said. "She begged me for years to quit, said she didn't care about the money. I chose wrong."

The year 2020 was financially rough, but OP's bosses assured him that 2021 would be better. OP continued to work as much as possible and even cut his honeymoon short to get back to work. "I was chasing the pot of gold 'cause I wanted to buy her a house," he reasoned.

Unfortunately, his wife didn't want to stick around. "Four months post-wedding, my wife leaves me, ending our 8-year relationship," he said. "She told me I always chose work over her and didn't like what I turned into."

Heartbroken, OP threw himself back into his work, but it ended up not being worth it. He never got the bonus or the raise his bosses had promised him. "My marriage ended up being worth nothing," he said. A couple of weeks later, OP quit and deleted six months' worth of work in the process.

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Offering His Advice

Clearly having learned a tough lesson, OP gave Redditors some advice: "Money won't buy you happiness. If you're lucky enough to find someone who loves you, focus on that and never let go."

Although some users left some harsh responses blaming OP for his failed marriage, others reached out to OP to express how sorry they were about his situation and even shared some of their own stories. One user said, "I'm so sorry you had to experience this. I left my most recent job because I saw it having an effect on my marriage."

Another person commented, "You really have to find a healthy work-home balance. A job will take anything you give and look at you like they expected more. It will never be enough. So you absolutely must form your own boundaries in regards to your professional life." A third user simply stated, "You only get one crack at life. Spend it on things that really matter to you."

Since then, OP edited his post to continue sharing his experiences and hoped that others would learn from his mistakes. "People, I was trying to give my wife a good life," he said. "I admitted I made the wrong choice. Not looking for sympathy, trying to warn you to avoid my mistakes."

OP also shared some updates regarding his professional life and his personal life. "Finally, happy ending," he said. "I got a new job and a new gal. Life is looking up. Please learn from me and have a great life everyone!"

What do you think about this man's advice to others about not letting a job get in the way of your relationship? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too.