Today’s Brilliance Nugget is about these three questions that focus on “Love Your Work” but:
- How much do you love what you do?
- How do you feel about the balance between your work and everything else in your life?
- What are you putting off until some undetermined day or “when I retire”?
Question 1: How Much Do You Love What You Do?
People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
Dale Carnegie, Author of “How To Win Friends and Influence People“
You could rate your love for your work on a scale of 1-10 (10 is best.) If the number is not a “10,” what would make it a “10”, or at least an “8” or “9”?
Sometimes we are in survival mode, and we can’t be picky – I get that. Yet, hopefully, that is a short-term situation. You can identify and create an opportunity that deserves a high rating on the “I love my work” scale. Do you rank your happiness higher than your fear of dealing with the unknown? Good. That is what it takes to make a change.
Question 2: What About Your Work-Life Balance?
This conversation brings me to question 2 about your work-life balance. When we love our work and find it fulfilling, we still need to consider how much time we make for it versus the rest of what matters in our life. Yourself. Your family. Your friends. Your faith. Other missions that matter to you. Other dreams you have.
Consider that taking care of yourself is not selfish. It is a must because you will be no good to anyone if you don’t.
We do not live a work-life and a “life-life.” We live one life. I invite you to strive for “dynamic work-life harmony.” It is dynamic because the amount of time and attention we give each aspect of our lives is not constant. It varies. Yet, strive for harmony because each element that matters to you must get its piece of your time in the big picture.
Stephie Althouse, Ph.D., Author of “101 Quick Tips For High-Talent Companies“
Question 3: Which Dreams Are You Putting Off?
What, if anything, are you putting off? Are you waiting until you retire or the kids are out of the house to do something you have dreamed of doing? Or maybe you have nearly forgotten about your dreams by now?
“For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. … The stars will never align, and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it “eventually,” just do it and correct course along the way.” ―
Timothy Ferriss, Author of “The 4-Hour Workweek“
I like that quote. Deferring your dreams (and taking them to the grave) seems like a bad idea to me.
Yes, I understand that we can’t just dump our responsibilities. And when we love what we do with our work, it may be triply hard to set a boundary. Without it, work can overtake your life. You become so indispensable that you can’t get away. Your dreams – those outside of your work mission – slowly wither and die.
Have Your Cake And Eat It, Too
I’m much less interested in thinking about when I will retire. I LOVE what I do.
Yet, I am working on making my company less dependent on me. Launching my Brilliance Mining course is an excellent step toward that goal. I am developing a plan to go trekking in Nepal – without inconveniencing my clients.
Many of my clients want that kind of freedom, too. I show them how to pour their brilliance into a system that allows them to transfer it to others. That gives them more freedom to fulfill their work mission and their other dreams as well. It is like having your cake and eating it, too. Yeah!
I’m Curious
After you answered these three questions, which realizations do you have for your life?
Dr. Stephie
P.S.: I appreciate you commenting and sharing this with others. Thank you!
