I’m not really used to life operating at a slow pace.
It seems that the older I get, the faster shit flies from all kinds of different directions.
Thoughts, bills, family, events, etc. I guess this is just part of adulthood.
But as life gets more complicated, do we really get better at managing it?
It seems that most of us are simply concerned with advancing our careers/making more money to somehow combat everything that is coming at us from every direction.
But how much time do we actually spend on developing ourselves outside of work?
And should personal development always come second to professional development?
As a self-employed individual, I’m certainly at an advantage when it comes to making decisions about how much time to allocate to work vs. personal development.
Still, I find that I catch myself being self-critical if I take an hour out of my work day for a walk in the park or a midday Krav Maga class.
But if I really start to think about it, is physical activity ever a bad use of one’s time?
If exercise releases endorphins, doesn’t this carry over to our work when we finally return to it?
Even a simple walk gives us time to think without the incessant distractions that come from the work place.
Work Comes and Goes, But You Are a Constant
As I write this post, I’m technically not “working” on my day job. But my day job is constantly changing, and many of these changes are outside of my control.
I can’t control if a client decides to cut their advertising budget.
I can’t prevent the economy from tanking.
But I can control my personal development, regardless of what’s happening with work. And considering my feelings on a personal level play a big role in my feelings at a professional level, I’m not going to beat myself up if I’m spending a lot of time on myself.
I don’t want to only be remembered for what I did as a professional. It’s more important for me to be remembered for who I was as an individual.
So if you’re taking time to work on yourself at the expense of work, remind yourself that a) the time you spend on yourself is likely helping you more than hurting you at a professional level and b) it’s not worth sacrificing who you are as an individual in order to appease a job or career that can change at any point for reasons outside of your control.
I understand that we all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. I am definitely not exempt from this living in a city with an insane cost of living and in a state where it’s very expensive to be a business owner.
Still, I’m ok with sacrificing income in the short run if I know I will be better off physically and mentally in the long run.
When you’re healthy and in a good state of mind, it’s easier to solve problems at both a personal and professional level.
What do you think?