How can I be satisfied in my personal life?
You have focused on your career for years and have achieved a high level of success. You received promotions and attention from industry colleagues. Your success was achieved through goal setting, focus, and hard work. You are satisfied with your career, but life outside of work is unsatisfactory. You are missing connection, stimulation and enjoyment. In your quest for professional success, you have likely neglected to focus on your personal life. What can you do to change this?
First, recognize that improving your life outside of work will require time commitment. It is critical that you not try to fit the development of your personal goals within your existing schedule. You will need to carve out time in your calendar. Take a critical look at your work schedule. Are there meetings that you no longer need to attend? Can you block time before your day starts or after to allow for personal activities? Can you reduce or eliminate time spent with professional, work-related organizations that you belong to?
Second, think about those tactics you deploy in your professional life that have led to success and use those in the development of your personal life. You likely have a team that you rely on to complete projects. You probably set goals, establish timelines, and measure your success. If you fall behind, you re-group to get back on track. If needed, you may consult with an expert for advice. Plan to deploy these same tactics in your personal life.
Let’s get down to some examples. If you want to expand your reading to things other than professional journals, you might choose a book club as it provides structure and accountability, similar to what you have in your professional life. It will also have the added benefit of social interaction. If you want to establish an exercise routine, consider joining a gym and enrolling in classes or using a personal trainer. Rather than doing this on your own, you will have a team of experts helping and encouraging your progress. If you want to spend more time with aging parents, find mutually interesting activities that you can do together. You will benefit from new experiences and in connection with your parents. In all cases, block the times you plan to do these activities on your calendar. This will help you to be accountable to your commitment and also protect that time from work-related activities.
It may be hard to make these changes and invest in your personal life. However, I would make the case that it is critical to do this for your mental and physical well-being. Additionally, at some point in the future, you may leave your career behind you and by investing in your personal life now, you will have a fulfilling life in the future.