Hello Darlings, One of the most common questions I receive is how did I establish a career on my terms. Over the past few weeks before writing this article, I’ve given much thought to it and struggled with the idea. Much of my adult life was focused on career accomplishments. I always felt that I had a career on my terms until I was faced with choosing to compromise my values for it. In our society so much of our time is spent trying to accomplish goals that we forget that our jobs are not meant to define or give purpose to our lives. If we look back on previous generations, a job was a means to an end. Of course our career should fulfill us, but by no means should it define us. In my opinion having a career on our terms means to conduct work in a way that represents our values and puts us in integrity with ourselves. Whichever values define us as individuals should also be used as a pivot for career choices. Therefore, if I were to narrow down what having a career on my terms is in 5 Steps this would be it.

Step 1 - Integrity

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

Everything we do in our life should be done with it. Nothing in my life should make me compromise on my integrity as an individual.

Step 2 - Authenticity

a quality of being authentic. Authentic - of undisputed origin; genuine.

Being honest with ourselves and others as to the person that we are. This is something I strive to be and is a daily work in progress.

Step 3 - Discipline

the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour.

Not applying it to people but to myself. I believe in having a strong work ethic and dedication to accomplishing our set goals. Discipline is what gets me from point A to B.

Step 4 - Patience

the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

There is a reason patience is a virtue. It does not come easy but we need to trust the timing of our life. We are never ahead or behind others. Let’s celebrate others without comparison and be patient with ourselves.

Step 5 - Prioritize

determine the order for dealing with (a series of items or tasks) according to their relative importance.

One of the more challenging lessons I’ve learned is the importance of priorities. Priorities determine decisions and how we spend our time. Out of 168 hours in the week, every hour is dedicated to a priority whether we realize it or not. Time is choice and we give time to what’s important. This is also why we need to respect others by not being self-serving with their time.

Let’s trust ourselves to make decisions that reflect our values. It is within us to decide and to make changes within our current circumstances. Our job title nor our paycheque determine our worth as individuals; therefore why would our career path define our life?

With Love...

Marta