If you have finally realized that there is more to life than work, you have probably also realized that re-prioritizing your life is easier said than done. The professional landscape at the more senior levels of management is more competitive than ever and the last thing you want to do is risk the financial security of your family.
Can you have both quality of life and the career of your dreams?
Many people are now figuring out ways to make it all work. It takes some discipline and maybe a new frame of mind but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Here are 5 ways to get quality of life and the career of your choice
1. Focus on what they see. In the book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Author, Greg McKeown reveals the best advice he ever got was from his boss when attempting to quit a job due to burn-out.
“Just do what a Consultant would do.”
He started prioritizing his efforts based on what would create the company’s desired results. He shortened his day, increased his effectiveness and was perceived as even more irreplaceable than before. Sweden has been experimenting with a 6 hour work day and found it improves employee focus and makes it easier to attract and retain top talent.
2. Network. The sooner you understand that every job is temporary, in our economy of disruption, the happier you will be. Jobs will come, and jobs will go and, if you have the right career strategy, every role will propel you to the next opportunity. You will find that you will not go on and off job searches. You will just get calls from those that know of you because of how eager you are to help others and how awesome you are at your job.
3. Education. Knowledge is power. The more you stay on the cutting edge of your disciple, the higher the chances are you will be seen as irreplaceable and will be able to write your own schedule. Highly sought-after professionals that dictate their own office schedule can spend hours at night researching articles from thought leaders and new developments in the industry. They take online courses just to gain the knowledge. Coursera offers an amazing selection of MBA courses from top schools for free!
4. Mentor. Taking time to help others is difficult for most professionals who work hard but not smart. “How can I help others when I have so much work to do?” Mentoring does not yield immediate gratification unless you truly enjoy giving without the expectation of reciprocation. Mentoring has more of a long-term pay-off.
A highly successful National Trainer for a large NGO, explained that if he were to try and get out to every organization himself, as directed, he would never be home to see his family. Instead, he has mastered “training the trainer” and can increase the impact of his organization 10-fold, help develop the careers of those around him and get the quality of life he desires.
5. Choose a career that is in-line with your passion. Most advice regarding choosing a career in-line with your core desires in life goes something like, “There will be long hours and tedious work at times, so you’d better make sure you have enough motivation.” While this can be true, I believe there is a type of effortless magic that happens when you are in the heart of what you enjoy. It’s almost like your creativity wakes up and hands your brain ideas so good it shocks you and amazes everyone around you.
Great news! You can take one of the first steps right now and get out and meet some other C-level professional. C-SuiteConnector is officially launching and providing monthly networking events, job postings and invaluable content from experts.
Author:
www.saundra-lee.com
@saundraraelee
