Own Your Career

Chapter 9You Are More Than Your Career

For the first half of my 20s, I equated my worth and my identity with my job title. If I wasn't doing the hardest job that made me sound like the smartest person in the room, I felt like a failure.

Because of this, I made my entire life revolve around work. I'd wake up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym or go on a run, and then I'd be showered, dressed, and fed with my butt in the chair at my desk at 8:30 a.m. Every day.

After work, I'd spend my evenings studying for my professional exams, attending some type of work event or happy hour, or preparing for the next day of work. I had very little social life during the week outside of my job, and at the time, I didn't realize how detrimental it was; I thought it was what everyone was doing.

On the weekends, I spent my Saturdays studying and my Sundays hanging out. I wasn't living; I was existing in a constant state of stress that I wasn't doing enough. There is enormous pressure on young professionals to do the most, and I was no exception. I held myself to a standard I could never meet, and it made me miserable.

I was consumed by my work in a bad way. I think a large part of this was because work provided a stability in my life that I no longer had. Up until you graduate college, your whole life is laid out for you. Once you enter the workforce, it's up to you to figure out The Plan. I wasn't happy with my social life or my living situation, so instead I poured myself into my job because it was ...