What Do You Want (Part 2)

Last month I introduced the importance of identifying what you want from your relationship with work as a critical component to finding fulfillment in your role. It’s so easy to get distracted by the progress of others or align your definition of success with variables that may cause confusion in determining what matters most to you in your current, and likely temporary season of life.

If you’re feeling antsy about your current outlook, let’s walk through a tool I use with coaching clients to help you think about what you want your home and work life to look like over the next 1-2 years. Do you want to slow down to spend more time on personal priorities? Are you eager to focus on work to help you achieve professional and/or financial goals? There isn’t a right or wrong answer to the questions, it’s just important you answer them honestly.

As you look at the next 1-2 years, what are your most important priorities? Select 2 from the list below:

o  Time with family and/or friends

o  Ongoing education/completing a certification/passing the CPA exam

o  Financial goals like saving to buy a home or car

o  Mental/physical wellness 

o  Hobbies

o  Travel

Next, based on your current season of life, what matters most to you in your relationship with work? Select 1 from the list below:

o  Flexibility in your schedule

o  Compensation

o  Stability 

o  Advancement

o  Learning a new skill or role

Take a moment, are your answers in alignment with each other or in conflict? If in conflict, you may want to spend time reflecting on which is most important, otherwise you are likely to continue to feel strain. Choosing one doesn’t mean you don’t care about the others, it’s simply a matter of focusing on what is most important to you in your current season of life. 

Once you are clear on your priorities, focus your goals and personal success metrics around achieving these key objectives. This likely means you may need to say “no” to enticing opportunities in order to stay true to your priorities. Remember, it’s not that you can’t have it all, you just can’t have it all at the exact same time.

Before my youngest daughter started school, I wanted to spend more time with her so my husband and I agreed I would redirect my focus from professional advancement to investing more time at home. This required a significant change in our financial reality and incredible discipline on my part. I’ve always been drawn to new and exciting projects at work and those who know me can attest that I have a serious vacation travel addiction, so declining professional opportunities was not easy, but I knew my time at home with my daughter was temporary. Once she started school, I was back on track, focusing on growing my career and packing suitcases for family vacations. While the temporary sacrifice in income was challenging, I’ll never regret the decision I made to shift my focus over those two years.

As your wild and wonderful life pulls you in new directions, I encourage you to take a moment every couple of years to follow the steps outlined above to check-in with yourself, understand the season of life you are in, and ensure you are clear on what matters most. It’s easier to fall in love with our work (Spiirall’s focus in 2023) when we are clear about what our work is affording us to do.