To be obsessive about and working hard toward reaching one’s goals is a surefire way to accomplish anything one sets their mind to. And while professional success is fantastic, we must not forget that there is a thing called Life to be lived and be lived well. In order to do so, I have found, one must be as obsessive about reaching their professional goals as they are about reaching their personal ones. Personal goals include relationships, community, family, hobbies, social life, etc. I have learned this lesson the hard way last year, as I invested all my time, attention and energy to developing my blog, attempting to fit in 30 minutes to workout everyday, but fuming the entire time because all I kept thinking about was the work I had to complete. As a result, I grew unhappy. Because my only focus was my job which didn’t even provide satisfaction at the time because I felt like it wasn’t fully aligned with who I was as a person. It represent me completely and I had yet to find how to go about achieving the goal of having my platform be a true reflection of who I was and serve the goal I had created it for, which was to help people be healthier and happier. In August of last year, as I explained many times on this blog, I decided to do things differently. First, I had finally found how convey the messages I wanted to convey and second, I decided to do all the things that I had always dreamed of doing. This way, I would be as fulfilled at work as I would be personally. This technique worked wonders. I felt on top of the world. But it seemed like the harder I worked on my business, the more ideas I got to develop it and the more passionate I became about seeing my vision come to life, so the harder I worked. To the point where I stopped doing (almost) everything else. I would go to the gym less frequently and would opt for at home exercises to save time and be able to get more done. I had no time to waste, I felt and as a result, grew… GRUMPY! Though I was making huge progress with my business, it didn’t provide me with the fulfillment it once did when I combined working hard with doing all sorts of other activities I loved. Once again, I had to pause and think: I can’t go back to the very negative behaviour that acted as a catalyst for the greatest change in my life. I have to work twice as fast and as hard, to be able to accomplish as much as I do at work (and even more!) and still have time for other activities that make me happy. I have found, true happiness lies in being fulfilled in seven areas: career, finances, family, relationships, social life, health, fitness, personal and professional development. If we feel like we are failing in one of these areas, we usually feel unhappy although we may be killing it in other departments. That’s why it’s so important not to put all your eggs in one basket; because if you do, you are likely to neglect all the other things in your life that are as essential to your wellbeing and happiness.
