In my thirties, I was very focused on career success.
That was my main priority.
I think for a lot women that’s pretty standard as well.
But I also know I kind of put all my eggs in one basket.
Basically I thought that by having a successful career, I would feel fulfilled in all areas of my life.
That my career success would kind of make everything else better.
I know this sounds crazy, right?
Or maybe not?
Maybe you've thought this too?
Anyway, logically if we think this through, of course it’s not true.
There is more to life than career.
And even though I knew I was doing this (as several business coaches and mindset coaches pointed this out to me).
I didn't really know how to get off this track and live life any differently.
Yes, career success has positive side benefits for sure, it's not all bad.
And of course much of this drive for women as for myself was to help provide for my family financially, to feel smart and competent, and to make a difference in the world.
And when we get on this career-focused track (generally starting in college) it can become harder and harder to prioritize the other areas of our life.
That is UNTIL we notice a dream (outside of our main focus) that still remains unfulfilled OR a nagging problem that really needs fixing in another area of our life.
It’s like all of the sudden you notice (maybe like I did for example) that you are obese.
It’s pretty obvious that my career success couldn’t fix my obesity problem.
But, I kept focusing on my career anyway (out of habit I guess).
I absolutely WAS trying to eat healthy and lose weight, but it wasn't my main focus and I kept gaining weight.
To gain a more holistic look at this, there are 7 main areas that you can prioritize and set goals in for yourself: Career, Mental Health, Emotional Health, Physical Health, Spiritual Health, Financial Health and Relationships.
So, I created a goal in the Physical Health area of my life.
I decided to prioritize (shift my focus) to a physical health goal and I made a goal to lose 50 pounds in 18 months.
So as I did, you may also want to prioritize physical health or one of these other areas right now based on an unfulfilled dream or a nagging problem.
But it’s not of course that you don't focus at all on the other areas.
It’s that you may need to maintain those other areas for a while as you create a your new goal and prioritize it.
Yes, we all have one area that we like to prioritize more than others.
Let’s say you naturally prioritize your relationship with your kids, then all the sudden when they graduate and move out of the house you might struggle to make the shift to prioritize another area of your life such as your relationship area/friendships.
Or if it’s career that you naturally prioritize, it might be hard for you to put that on maintenance for a while to prioritize your relationship area/marriage.
This is just one way to look at it.
This is what a shift (or a change of focus) can look like.
This is also what moving forward potentially looks like to create more balance for yourself, to achieve new goals, and to grow into a more well-rounded human-being.
It doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong track.
It means you are growing and you want to experience greatness in all areas of your life, even if it might be difficult.
And the purpose for this is that it can bring you much more fulfillment in your everyday life.
So, which area needs your attention right now?
Do you have a nagging problem or an unfulfilled dream that you need to focus on?
When I shifted my focus to my physical health, I was able to lose 50+ pounds in two years, which definitely changed my life for the better.
