Do you sometimes ask yourself how to achieve career success AND love your life?
Your career is very important to you. You are working hard to climb the ladder at work and you are relishing your success. You like the recognition and love the money and feel like you have it all. Or do you?
Being successful, and the things that come with it, are important to you but you don ‘ t want those things at the expense of your happiness.
We only have one life to live and it’s important to live it well, after all.
So, how to achieve career success and love your life?Here are 5 important things to consider in order to do so.
#1 – Choose a career that you love.
Success is important yes but it’s only one part of your career. It’s important to choose a career that you love.
We spend a significant portion of our life at work and in order to love our life we need to love our work. If you are successful at a job you hate then you will spend the majority of time doing something that makes you unhappy.
So choose carefully. Take some time to inventory what is important to you at work. Is it the industry you work in? The quality of the workplace? The amount of independence you are given? If the things that are important to you aren ‘ t part of your every day work life then change it up.
Sharpen your resume and get ready for change!
#2 – Schedule time every day to love yourself.
I know. This is easier said than done. You get up at the crack of dawn to get everyone out the door. You hit the ground running at work and don ‘ t stop until it ‘ s time to get everyone gathered and fed and put to bed. And then you do the same thing the next day.
It ‘ s really, really important that you take a break somewhere in your day and do something for yourself. It doesn ‘ t have to be everyday but it has to be regularly.
Taking care of yourself will not only make you a better employee, and therefore more successful, but it will allow you to take care of yourself, a key piece to living a life you love.
What could you do for yourself? You could take a walk. Or a yoga class. You could schedule time with friend for lunch. You could sit in the shade somewhere and watch videos about cute cats. Whatever it is that makes you feel good and like yourself again.
How do you fit that into your day? Put it on your schedule! In red. It ‘ s the thing that is non-negotiable. That can ‘ t be changed for a meeting. If it ‘ s on your calendar you are more likely to get it done!
#3 – Continue learning, for your career and your life.
For many of us we achieve career success and then we just rest on our laurels and then let life happen around us. We finish college and wipe our hands of anymore classroom time. Thank goodness it ‘ s done!
It ‘ s important that we keep learning, both personally and professionally. This could mean taking courses or attending seminars that could advance your career. It could mean taking a pottery class. It could mean reading a book about a new subject. It could mean taking up crossword puzzles.
The goal with learning something new is to keep your brain active and young. This will promote growth in your career and happiness in your life!
#4 – Keep in touch with friends and family.
It is so easy in our crazy, career filled days to fall out of touch with our friends and family. We tend to take our friends and families for granted, assuming that they will always be there. And usually they are, at least for a while.
Connection with friends and family is very important and neglecting them can make life a much less enjoyable place. In your absence, life goes on and you miss out on it. Birthday parties, cookouts, shopping trips and school events all happen with or without you.
Ask yourself what would life be like without your family and friends? Would all of the career success be worth it?
Part of loving your life is loving your peeps. So take the time to spend time with everyone, either individually or as a group. You will be glad you did.
#5 – Don’t put your career over your love life.
Love is one of the fundamental pieces of living a life that you love. And it is often the first thing that is neglected in the pursuit of career success.
We know our person is there, and we assume that they will always be there, so we stop tending the relationship. And the consequences can, again, be disastrous.
Also, the most successful people in this world have a loved one would supports them. Think Bill and Melinda Gates. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. Both members of these uber-successful couples say they couldn ‘ t have done it without the love and support of their partner.
So make a huge effort to spend time with the one you love, to make time where there is none.
Before it ‘ s too late. Because without love in one ‘ s life it ‘ s hard to love one ‘ s life.
When I was little I was taught that I could have it ALL. Work and love and a family. For many women that is the goal. To achieve career success and love your life.
And it IS POSSIBLE. It requires a lot attention and effort but you can do it!
Choose a career you love, take care of yourself and those around you and never stop learning. These are all key pieces of having it all.
Go for it! You can do it!
I am a NYC based Certified Life Coach and mental health advocate. My writing has been published on The Huffington Post, Prevention, Psych Central, Pop Sugar, MSN and The Good Man Project, among others. I work with all kinds of people to help them go from depressed and overwhelmed to confident and happy in their relationships and in their world.
