Are you out of balance in your career? You know you are when your career is all you think about. You worry constantly about where your career is headed. You believe that you can’t be happy until your career problems are solved. And, it might be starting to affect your health.

Balance is a tough concept is today’s workplace. There are more demands, more stress, and more reasons to feel dissatisfied or unfulfilled by what you do. You may want to be balanced, but don’t know where to start. Or, you may have tried, but balance seems to be this elusive concept you can’t achieve.

Being out of balance from time to time is normal. But when your career takes over your life and becomes your sole focus, it’s time to do something about it. Balance is important because it gives you the ability to see your situation clearly. Clarity brings focus. Focus brings options. Options bring solutions.

So How Do You Get Back Into Balance? Follow These 3 Steps Below.

 

1. Recognize That Your Career Is Only A Slice Of The Pie

When something is not working in one area of your life, it can easily affect the others. How can you make plans in your life when you are in limbo or there is uncertainty in your career? The problem with that thinking (or that question) is it keeps you from moving forward, finding answers, or taking action to do something differently. When you focus solely on one aspect of your life, you lose perspective and when perspective is lost, so is hope and momentum.

Many people define themselves by what they do, and when that is lost or in jeopardy, they are lost too. Your career, although a big part of your life, is only a piece of the bigger picture. It is what you do for a living, to pay the bills and take care of yourself and your family. Yes, you want a satisfying career, one that makes a difference for others. But if you don’t have that at the moment, don’t let your frustration or disappointment take over your entire life.

 

2. Stop Obsessing

I have clients that can tell me the exact conversation that took place (sometimes years or decades ago) that was their downfall. Or the moment they were let go that changed their whole life. They ask me why it happened or what they should have done differently.

I understand how hard their situations are. Having a problem you can’t solve or control can easily throw you off track. I can’t change what has happened or what is happening to you. I can tell you that you are wasting valuable time on something that is in your past. Rather than use that energy obsessing about what has happened, use that energy towards planning your future.  Obsessing may be your attempt to figure out what went wrong, or fix it, but really it just holds you back and prevents you from moving forward.

 

3. Take The Focus Off Your Career

You may be spending too much time thinking about yourself. That is part of the problem and one of the reasons you are out of balance. You are spending too much time focusing on you. Ask yourself who you can help or who you can give back to. Have extra time these days? Where can you volunteer and help people who are in a worse situation than you? You may think you have nothing to give back, but you do. Giving back will help you feel better. Life is about making a difference and helping others. When you take the focus off yourself, that’s when the miracles happen. Your career gets better when you get better and when you feel better about yourself.