If there’s one thing most industries have in common, it’s a narrow definition of success.
Instead of focusing on what we really want, we tend to ask ourselves questions like, “How many zeros are in my bank account?” and “What letters come before and after my name?”
If these questions frame your vision of success, you may make great strides in your career but struggle to find substantial joy and fulfillment beyond the short term.
So, how can you stop spending the vast majority of your time and energy on career goals alone?
In this episode, I’ll dig into how you can live your greatest life without sacrificing your success (or vice versa). Joining me on this journey is Sheri Riley, a life strategist, empowerment speaker, and author of Exponential Living: Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are.
Riley became exceptionally successful early in her career – managing DJs, creating her own radio program, and rubbing shoulders with entertainment executives by 27. But all that long, hard work took its toll just a few years later, leading to Riley resigning (or in her words, “crashing and burning”), before starting her company GLUE.
This story is all too common with high-performing leaders, especially in America. But it IS avoidable. How? Riley tells us it’s by defining success for ourselves, and then making decisions with our time allocation that align with that definition.
Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:
1. You still have time to do things differently.
It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college, midway through your career, or in your 60s, you are always in control of your next step. If you’re miserable and hate your job, it’s time to step back and define who you are, then pursue a new challenge based on that new understanding of yourself.
Perhaps you even know what you want to do, but you aren’t sure how to achieve it.
That starts with really getting to know yourself. Start by asking yourself questions like “What do I value?,” “When do I feel most at peace?,” and “Who am I?” Once you can answer “Who am I?” without diving into your job description, you’re on the right track.
This is a key piece of Riley’s book, Exponential Living, which expounds upon the idea that we typically spend 100% of our time on 10% of who we are – and what we should do to make way for the other 90% of who we are.
2. “Success comes to those who don’t sleep” is a myth.
The money in your bank account, or the letters before or after your name – all of that is a narrow definition of success.
It robs us of peace, joy, happiness, our marriages, and relationships with kids. And we’re left not even knowing who we are. When those defining moments in our career happen, and it’s time to retire or leave a job we’ve had for years, what are we left with if we don’t know ourselves? It can be helpful to consider what we want to maximize in our lives, not just in the workplace, but in our personal lives.
For example, Riley made it a priority to maximize her role as a mother on top of her career duties. When you look for ways to maximize opportunities in your life, you become invigorated. It’s all about bridging the gap between your career goals and your personal principles. Once we achieve this, we can live in peace, clarity, and even courage.
3. Be inspired by the ‘and.’
Does your understanding of yourself contain multitudes? Then guess what, you’re human!
As Riley said, there’s power in the ‘and’ – we don’t have to choose between money and marriage, or success and family. We can live in the ‘and’ as long as we are also intentional about what we want and how we aim to achieve those goals.
For example, if your top two priorities are work and family, you likely won’t feel fulfilled if you only see your children on FaceTime in between meetings – even if you are climbing your industry’s ladder.
Real success doesn’t require an either/or mindset. Embrace the ‘and,’ and be who you were called to be in all areas of your life.
To learn more, enjoy an audio excerpt from Sheri’s book, Living Exponentially.
At BELAY, we’re passionate about helping people focus on what really matters to them. By allowing business owners to delegate tasks to our Virtual Assistants, Accounting Professionals, and Marketing Assistants, we make it possible to really, truly honor that 90% of ourselves that Riley speaks about.
To see how you can be more than your career achievements, check out Riley’s book Exponential Living: Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are.
While you’re at it, why not see how our team can help you put those lessons to work? Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about our offerings for busy business owners.