If you value family, build a career that allows you to be home every night. If you value travel, make sure you can take time off or do your job on the road. The possibilities for how you shape your career are nearly endless, but unless you build it around what matters most to you, you risk creating a professional life that is incompatible with your personal life.
The following is adapted from Breakout Blueprint.
Imagine toiling for years to build the business of your dreams, only to find that once you’ve created it, you no longer have time for the things that matter most to you.
Maybe that’s your family, like it is for me, or maybe it’s travel or a hobby. How devastating would it be to realize that you’ve sacrificed one important part of your life for another?
Unfortunately, making this trade is not uncommon. Many entrepreneurs trap themselves in business responsibilities that aren’t compatible with other aspects of their lives. That’s why it’s critical to build your career around what matters most to you from the start, or risk regretting your decisions later. Trust me—I learned this the hard way.
Realizing I’d Made a Huge Career Mistake
Growing up as the youngest of eight children, I was fortunate to have a lot of family time. Friday nights, when the entire family would get together for an informal pizza dinner, resulted in some of my most cherished childhood memories. Family has always been important to me.
Fifteen years later, and with two kids of my own, I realized one evening just how much quality family time mattered to me—and how I’d made a critical career mistake.
I had just gotten back from a work trip to Atlanta. As I was getting settled, my daughter said to me, “Hey, Daddy, come into Mommy’s room to watch a show…”
I had spent most of my career in sales roles covering the majority of the United States and Canada, which meant a lot of travel. At first when my daughter said, “Come into Mommy’s room,” I laughed, but later that night it started to sink in.
If I didn’t make some changes, it really was going to be Mommy’s room, and that wasn’t a sacrifice I was willing to make for my career.
Readjusting Priorities
In building a career that involved a lot of travel, I had abandoned one of the fundamental things that makes life great: family. Even as I told myself, “I’m doing this for us,” I was missing the little things. I needed to make a change because the moments I was missing mattered.
I changed my career and refocused on my business to put what matters most, first. My family built new traditions together, and we continue to build upon them today.
When I started my own business, I made sure that it allowed me enough flexibility to spend as much time with my family as I wanted.
Finding the perfect balance between work and family didn’t happen overnight, and there were times when I slipped into my old habits of chasing money at the expense of other things. However, by keeping my family at the center of my priorities, I was always able to course correct and shape my business in a way that preserved my time with them.
Creating a Career that Fits Your Life
The reason I’m sharing my story is to stop you from taking another job you hate—or worse, from tearing apart the life you’re trying to build. To create a career you’ll love, you have to start with what matters most. You have to design your life around your priorities, whatever they are.
If you value family, build a career that allows you to be home every night. If you value travel, make sure you can take time off or do your job on the road. The possibilities for how you shape your career are nearly endless, but unless you build it around what matters most to you, you risk creating a professional life that is incompatible with your personal life.
For more advice on building your business, you can find Breakout Blueprint on Amazon.
Doug Foley is a media entrepreneur, podcast host, and digital pioneer who is known for pushing the boundaries of digital platforms to create unique solutions that drive growth. He’s an innovator with a drive and a passion for helping others thrive, succeed, and think outside the box. As the host of the hit podcast The Happiness of Pursuit, he teaches listeners how ordinary people followed their passions to create extraordinary lives. He launched two six-figure agencies in less than 18 months, and he’s now using that experience to help others find fulfillment through a lifestyle business.
