What’s the deal with Work and Wellbeing? A personal story about believing it is possible to enjoy both
How do you view your work?
Is it a big part of your identity?
Or is just something you do in order to enjoy your non-work life?
Well, which ever it is– it usually occupies a fair old chunk of our time
Even a neat 9-5 with no expectation of extra hours can impinge into our free time if we have worries around deadlines, a difficult colleague or an incompetent manager.
Or maybe the stress comes from knowing that we are simply treading water and selling ourselves short. Maybe not financially but in terms of doing something that we can’t wait to escape from on a Friday evening. I don’t believe that living just for the weekend is really good enough.
There was one job that I really loved – it came directly after leaving the high-flying job in London where I had to endure a long commute before I even started my stressful day. I was managing the Ladies Fashion floor for a small department store close to where I lived. I had to beg for the job on the basis it was more than half my previous salary. But the peace of mind and additional free time it gave me was more than worth the pay cut. The weight dropped away – physically, mentally, and emotionally. I regained not only my strength but motivation and enjoyment for life. It really was such a happy time.
But I left after less than a year telling myself I could do better and it didn’t pay enough and it was time to get a “serious job”.
I didn’t know back then that there was any other option. Rather than taking the elements that clearly were working and looking for them in a better paid role, or using my free time to supplement my income with a passion project or side hustle, I kept myself stuck in the same cycle– back to a job I hated and robbed me of all joy but paid well versus job I thrived in that allowed me to relax and enjoy life but didn’t pay enough to live on.
Work or wellbeing - always one at the expense of the other
And isn’t it possible that being miserable at work can lead to overcompensating by spending MORE than we earn – wiping out any benefits of a higher salary and tying us even tighter to a job we hate. Yep, guilty of that one.
We can get stuck with limiting beliefs that then become our reality. In my case, that work had to involve a major level of sacrifice - either my finances OR my happiness but I didn’t understand that it was possible to have BOTH.
If I’m completely honest I think I was just waiting to be “rescued” and didn’t believe I was
Capable of more
Deserving of better
Aware of what my strengths or talents were and therefore what kind of career would make me fulfilled and happy
Entitled to be rewarded enough to support myself and my family for doing work that made me so happy
Able to work less but achieve more
Safe to speak up and ask for that promotion and pay rise instead of waiting for someone to offer it to me
But let’s end this on an inspiring note:
I did eventually have the career that played to my strengths, rewarded me in every way and allowed me to thrive. And one that, in the process, gave me a unique insight into others’ struggles with work and wellbeing. And that neatly leads into why I have created KatherineB Work & Wellbeing and why I know it is possible to enjoy both.
If balancing your work and wellbeing is proving to be a challenge, then let me help
Contact me HERE and let’s talk further