It is an old expression about some people who are highly motivated about work in itself with the opposite view of someone who works to live. 【小题1】 But answering it honestly and accurately is critical to making intelligent career choices, and to your ultimate happiness in life. Unfortunately, many people lack the self-knowledge and realistic expectations necessary to address this vital issue properly.

Certain people, it is said, live to work. Their lives center on their work or careers and that achievement in their professions is a major source of satisfaction and meaning in their lives 【小题2】 In some cases, achieving huge levels of pay is considered more as a means of proving your worth than it is for the money itself.

By contrast, other people work to live. These people view their work or careers largely as toil whose purpose is to earn the money necessary to support themselves and their dependents. Their real interests lie elsewhere. 【小题3】 Some of these people try to cut comers, to gain the maximum pay for the minimum amount of effort. Others do indeed take great pride in their work and put great effort into doing their jobs well, but their jobs simply are not the centers of their lives.

【小题4】 Examples abound of individuals who lose their native passion for work because they cannot find an adequate position or pay in their preferred fields of endeavor. When they settle for jobs in other fields, they often do so strictly for benefits, such as compensation (补偿). 【小题5】