It’s just work

Sometimes we need to be reminded that, no matter how much we love what we do for our careers, it’s just work. I don’t mean that in a disparaging way at all–but I do mean that, while important, work needs to be kept in perspective.

There is a balance to be struck between career and other parts of life. While you will hear me say “If you really want it, you should be willing to do whatever it takes to follow your dream–including working second jobs, etc.” you also need to remember that your family and friends are incredibly important to your success as well. They need your time and attention.

Those two ideas aren’t in conflict but they can get convoluted at times. Usually, friends and family get sacrificed in pursuit of career. That can be just as dangerous to your success as ignoring your business.

Having support from friends and family is vital to being successful. We all need cheerleaders at times, and people who will sympathetically listen when we bitch about clients who are difficult, and people who won’t judge us on what we produce. It’s not our clients’ job to tell us it’s okay when we screw up, or to love us, or to be there for us when we are hurting or struggling. Our friends and family hold those “jobs.”

However, you need to give to them to keep the relationships healthy (for both of you). If you are choosing to work rather than spend time with your spouse (or kids), regularly, then you might need to re-think that decision. If, for example, you are indeed working an extra job to bring in money while you build your business, you need to deliberately schedule some time with your sweetie. S/He’ll understand you can’t spend hours every day, but if you make the effort to schedule a fun Saturday afternoon or something, that will go a long way towards feeding the relationship. Turn off the cell phone and email and spend that bit of time completely with them.

Take some time to give to the people you love, if for no other reason than so that they will continue to give to you (but hopefully just because you want to give to them, too). Call your parents, spend 30 minutes playing a game with the kids, take a walk with your lover. Feed your soul with these relationships and you’ll find that you will be better able to focus on work when working–making better creative, doing better marketing–generally being more productive (and happy) in your work.

2 Replies to “It’s just work”

  1. Good idea, Leslie!

    And a timely one too. I had a pretty rough Monday, and at the end of the workday, I was looking for something to do that was fun and different.

    So, I went over to an elderly friend’s house. I decided not to mention my lousy Monday, or anything else about work, and you know what? We had a great time talking about the news, politics, the questions on Jeopardy, and a whole lot of other things.

  2. I agree with you completely. I make time on a daily basis to spend time with my girl and make time every week to do stuff with my friends. Photography is what I do for a living and is the medium that I use to create art. I love it but it does not define who I am, I do.

    When I’m off work I dont take any client calls at all. If I’m not shooting on the weekend I have no interactions with clients. The world will not come to an end if I wait until Monday to answer their questions.

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