What happens when the days wind down and you’re off the clock? How do you spend the time that is entirely yours to spend? Who do you surround yourself with that doesn’t work in your same office or industry?

At the end of the day, who are you when the work is done and the time is all yours?

Success, especially career success, can be addicting. Once you have a taste of that higher rung on the ladder suddenly tunnel vision kicks in and it starts to consume all of your thoughts. It’s not a bad thing to crave success, but when your success comes at the cost of your entire identity, we lose a lot in the process. 

We know that a better job means a better paycheck and a better paycheck means better stuff, better homes, better vacations. But what happens after you have that dream job? What do you do when you’re finally in that dream home at the end of a long work week?

Do you know who you are?

Or have you lost yourself in the hustle?

How do we avoid losing ourselves while still pursuing our goals?

We’ve talked about balance on the blog before as well as the importance of human connection, but we haven’t really touched on something that may seem superficial but is really very important-hobbies.

A hobby is defined as “An activity done regularly in ones leisure time for pleasure.”

A hobby is all yours to partake in. You don’t engage in a hobby because of a promise of success, but because you choose to engage with your imagination and play, yes play, in your life. When we engage in activities purely for the sake of enjoyment we are enriching our lives in ways that our careers will leave us lacking.

We tell ourselves that the work we do is for our families and use it to justify our tunnel vision for success-but what if I told you that your family also needs you to be holistically fulfilled? The happier you are in day to day life and the more you focus on growing, the better example you set for your children and those who you work with.

Anyone who ever had an absent parent who worked all the time and kept a roof over their heads will tell you that it’s a special kind of pain to see someone work themselves so hard that they loose who they are. 

That doesn’t have to be you. 

Ask yourself what it is that you used to love to do and how long it’s been since you did it. Ask yourself what you would do if you and more time in your day and then make the time to do just that. Because the truth is, one day your kids will be off on their own, one day you’ll retire from your job, and what will you have left? You start deciding today who you are outside of your work. You are continually creating yourself, are you creating something you truly enjoy?

At the end of the day, you can’t just be a robot constantly cranking out results and topping yourself-you have to live a life that you can love long term. You get to be the one to decide what that looks like too, find something that ignites your heart and integrate it into your day to day life.

Maybe it’s writing, running, basketball, carpentry, or painting. Whatever it is, the only rule is that you have to enjoy it. Find what you love and discover something new about yourself…then go from there. The important thing is learning to enjoy yourself apart from your work. Be fulfilled in things other than numbers and figures. Let yourself enjoy your life. 

As a leader you will be enriched when you invest in your personal interests and allow others to do the same. Your career is not your identity. Don’t let the intoxication of the hustle take you away from who you are. 

Lead Well,