Posted by on May 11, 2018 in Career Insights | 0 questions

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We live in a society driven by money. Constantly on the lookout to better ourselves, keep up with the Joneses and have that next must-buy item, we go to work so we can earn enough to keep up with the financial demands that drive us. However, we can hurt ourselves in the process. Surely life is about more than how much money we have. There are people living in countries with little or no income, those places that we might even consider ‘backward,’ yet they are happy despite not having the luxuries we take for granted. Perhaps it is us, in our so-called civilised and affluent countries who are backward. Perhaps it’s time to realise that having a happy life is about having more than money.

Still, we do live in a part of the world where there are necessities to pay for. Unless we leave our comfortable situations, we do need to pay the bills, clothe and feed our families, and have the means to keep a roof over our heads. We are governed by set rules which means we have to pay our taxes. Despite these facets of life that rule us, when looking for work, we should take a cue from our third-world neighbours and look beyond how much we can earn. Yes, we need to live comfortably, but there should be other factors that motivate us when thinking about employment.

Consider the following.

A work-life balance. Life is about more than work, so if you’re forever in the office (or wherever it is you work), you won’t have time for those other important aspects of your life, such as your hobbies, your friends and your family. Life is too short to be grafting away constantly, so consider those other important aspects of your life  when you’re job hunting.

Personal rewards. You may be earning a lot of money, but how is the job satisfaction? Do you come home at the end of each day feeling that you have made a difference in the lives of others, as well as in your own life? There are some well-paid careers where job satisfaction is low. Banking can be one, especially when tough decisions need to be made that can detrimentally affect others. On the other hand, there are those jobs that should be better paid than they actually are, jobs such as nursing where the personal rewards outweigh what is in the pay packet. Perhaps you should look for a job where you can make a difference, such as nursing with an RN to BSN Online Program or any other job with similar rates of job satisfaction.

Your dream job. Remember when you were a child and you had dreams and aspirations about what you wanted to do with your life. Admittedly, some of these ideas may not have been altogether realistic – not many of us have what it takes to be an astronaut or a secret agent, for example – but you may have had an idea for a job that is possible for you now. The reason you haven’t pursued that path? It may well be because you have followed money rather than your heart, or you may not have had the opportunities to take you to where you wanted to be. Don’t give up on your dreams. If there is something you have always wanted to do (and it is halfway achievable), do all you can to follow your dream career instead of focusing on making your riches.

Final word

If money is important to you, above and beyond being a necessity, then fair enough. However, you can have all the money in the world and still not be happy, so concentrate on those other aspects of life when you’re looking for your next employment. You may increase your happiness level if you do.