Find a job that you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

In my last role, I had the opportunity to build my job from scratch. There were a lot of things about my job that I loved. I had an amazing team and great colleagues whom I loved working with on numerous public/private sector partnership projects.  Yet, at the end of that role, I has extended myself beyond a reasonable capacity which resulted in extreme stress. Although my work was rewarding and it provided opportunities for growth, status, prestige and visibility, it took its toll.

The lesson I learned is this: Doing what you love is great and you should look to find ways to do more of what you love to do in your job. However, this is not the only part of work balance. Equally important is the ability to create the necessary boundaries of when and for how long you do this work. Note: This doesn’t mean that there will never be a crisis that requires you to extend yourself or that you set unmovable boundaries for doing work. However, if you find that you are in a constant state of ‘crisis’ situations that cause you to sacrifice the things that de-stress, bring balance or otherwise enrich your life then the work pendulum may have swung to a point where you have set an unsustainable expectation.

Take it from me. I was too flexible with my boundaries and before I knew it, I had given a large percentage of my leisure time away.  If you have already reached this point in your role, you may have to create micro-goals to slowly re-establish these boundaries. Micro-goals (as I mentioned in my Week 2 blog post) create just enough space to maintain a habit of prioritizing yourself without taking away from more pressing obligations.  Today, I am in a fortunate position where I can start finding my lost hobbies and establishing a routine that allows me to take this time for myself in a greater way.

Lost Hobbies

Finding my love for reading again –

I have a strong love for reading and writing.  While my role allowed me to consume and write an abundance of material within the cybersecurity space, it did not allow me the time to do those things leisurely. My love for reading and writing was lost in a sea of work, an abyss that I couldn’t navigate.

I enjoy reading a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction including mystery, historical and autobiographical.  As you may have gathered from this blog series, I also like to write.  In particular, I like to write articles on career advancement or about the not-for-profit activities that I have been blessed to participate in. Doing the things that bring me joy is something I plan to take with me as I prepare to re-enter the workforce.

It took me two weeks to get to a point where I wanted to read again. This week, I dedicated 30 minutes per day reading something that I enjoyed.  This week I’m re-reading The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson and Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer

I did try audiobooks, but I found that I must see the words on the page to retain my attention.

Language is a perishable skill –

Nothing binds people together like language.

Early in my career, I spent a large amount of time becoming proficient at both Italian and Spanish.  Language is a perishable skill and if you don’t use it every day, it is easy for it to diminish. Fortunately, living in Brooklyn does provide numerous opportunities to use these languages but I am definitely rusty in my ability to hear and respond. I do miss the deeper level of connection established through language and the great value and enrichment accomplished through connecting with cultures. This week, I am dedicated to using a language app, Pimsleur, to find out where my current level is and then I will commit 20 – 30 minutes per day and see how that goes.

I’m slowly getting back to me and the feeling is great. Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope you can take some things from my lessons that help you become more centered and intentional about your habits and career development.

In the meantime, please share any books you’ve read that you think I would enjoy as I delve back into my leisurely reading.

Hasta luego ai miei amici,

Jason

P.S.: Fun Fact – I used to model for several agencies on the West Coast in my earlier years and I did a number of stock images. The cover photo is actually a picture of me!