It’s time to rethink your relationship with work

3 things that gave me a new perspective on my career

May 03, 2023

Hi friends,

With the rise of remote/hybrid work and the boom of the creator economy, there have been a lot more conversations around work. I started my career in the height of these major shifts, so it is hard for me to even fathom not thinking critically and seriously about a huge chunk of our adult lives. But once I started to really dissect the assumptions that I had about work, I realised that these beliefs have been reinforced and drilled into us for many generations, and makes sense why it took a pandemic and a technological shift to push us to consider other options.

Since we are now (hopefully) at the end of these major changes, I would like to share 3 things I realised during my reflections that fundamentally changed the way I thought about my career and my work.

low angle photo of city high rise buildings during daytime — Photo by Sean Pollock on Unsplash

Detaching your self worth from your career

Learning that my worth is not equated to my productivity was an important lesson for me. I found myself letting my lack of productivity affect my confidence and fuel my negative self talk. Tying my worthiness to how much I accomplished drained so much energy out of me, which was when I realised that I had to change my perspective. I had to learn a similar lesson in school: to disconnect my self worth from my grades. I don’t think I ever quite unlearned that because being student was all I knew at that point. But now, with the experience and wisdom I’ve gathered, I feel strong enough to detach my identity from my work and have a healthier perspective towards productivity.

💡My takeaway: Work hard and do your best, but remember that your accomplishments are not the sole contributor to what makes you YOU and what makes you worthy.

Embracing non-linear career paths

Once I rejected the myth that there are only a limited number of possible career paths, I started to see the potential for growth in so many areas. Hearing stories of people all over the world making a living in “unconventional” ways, doing multiple jobs at the same time or jumping from one industry to the next expanded my views on what a successful and meaningful career looks like. Even if I don’t choose to take the “pathless path” or a radically different path, knowing that there are so many possibilities out there is empowering enough.

💡My takeaway: Design your career like how you would design your room. There are so many possibilities, more than ever. Design it to suit your needs and lifestyle.

No career is perfect

I was always fed the narrative that you should be striving for your dream job. And once you are at your dream job, everything will be great! Now I’m starting to realise that while somebody else’s career might look perfect on the outside and may look like it suits their lifestyle well, I promise you that their job comes with a unique set of challenges. You may have a wonderful working environment but you aren’t learning much. You may love the hybrid structure but can’t stand the people you work with. It may be very impactful work but also very isolating at times. Our priorities and lifestyle preferences also change, so your dream job may no longer be serving your needs. By accepting that no career or job is perfect, I’ve learned to adjust my expectations and find fulfilment and purpose in other areas of my life.

💡My takeaway: Recognise the good parts of your job and figure out your non-negotiables. Make a change if you are no longer working towards a lifestyle you want or you are sacrificing too much of your non-negotiables.

Thanks for reading! I would love to know if you have any thoughts on what I’ve shared today.

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