Ayurveda stresses the importance of maintaining balance in all sections and intersections of our lives in order to achieve ‘perfect health’. This includes making the right choices surrounding our diet, exercise, mindset, personal relationships and profession. Many of us spend a majority of our lives playing a professional role; if we are not aligned with our career path consequently our overall happiness and health can be significantly impacted as well. If you’re questioning whether your professional role is right for your, try answering these important questions:
How do you feel about yourself while completing this role?
Sounds simple but sometimes we often overlook how important it is to check in with how we’re feeling. Ask yourself: How does this role ultimately impact how you feel about yourself? Do you feel important? Valued? Since starting your role, how has your overall growth and self-esteem been influenced-- has it been for the better, the worse, or have you been feeling quite stagnant for sometime? At the end of the day, are you proud of who you are in this role and the work you are accomplishing? Do you feel that you’re on the path of becoming the best version of yourself while fulfilling this role? If you’re not satisfied with your answers, you may not be in alignment with your career path. If you’re in a position where you can change your circumstances, it’s time to begin today by setting new goals that will help you achieve that mental/emotional balance.
How is your energy being expended?
Do you feel passionate about your work? Are you often leaving work feeling burnt out and drained of energy? Professional balance requires that our energy be expended in ways that multiply. Although most jobs require hard-work and immense amounts of physical effort, if your career is leaving you feeling mentally and emotionally drained, this can cause negative leaks in other aspects of our life. We may find ourselves easily irritable with others, overindulging in other energy-depleting activities, not able to give our all in other parts of our lives, and overall feeling dissatisfied with life as a whole.
Is this work aligned with your purpose/dharma?
In Jay Shetty’s best-selling book Think Like A Monk, he highlights a chapter about our career paths and its role in the completion of our dharma. Dharma regarding our professional role refers to the eternal and inherent duty or responsibility every individual is chosen to accomplish. A production of being aligned with one’s dharma is joy. To cultivate this joy, there are three basic factors to consider,
Is your career role helping you help others?
Do you find satisfaction in your role?
Are you the best at what you do?
When you’re able to capture all three of these essential aspects in your career, you can safely say that you are aligned with your purpose.
Career alignment has been a huge obstacle in my life for a long time. I was stressed, irritable, and unhappy with where I was at. Although, I am still working and constantly adjusting my career path: I do believe I am where I am currently meant to be. I feel good about my decisions and my self-esteem has skyrocketed to the best it's been in years. Since then, I found that other parts of my life (family life, romantic/platonic relationships, etc.) have also been positively impacted. Professional happiness is essential in your overall well-being, make sure you don’t overlook it! I wish you all luck on this journey!