Are professional success and a fulfilling personal life mutually exclusive?
Probably not, although it is more difficult today to achieve both.
Undeniably, todays professionals must work long hours to keep their heads above
water, let alone to get ahead in life financially. This is especially true in Japan, where
cost of living, coupled with corporate culture, compel professional males to all but
abandon their families and literally to work themselves to death. While the situation
here in the states may not be as critical, the two-income family is now the norm, not by
choice but by necessity.
However, our societys professionals are taking steps to remedy the problem. First,
they are inventing ways―such as job sharing and telecommuting―to ensure that
personal life does not take a backseat to career. Second, they are setting priorities and
living those hours outside the workplace to the fullest. In fact, professional success
usually requires the same time-management skills that are useful to find time for family,
hobbies, and recreation. One need only look at the recent American presidents--Clinton,
Bush, Reagan, and Carter―to see that it is possible to lead a balanced life which
includes time for family, hobbies, and recreation, while immersed in a busy and
successful career. Third, more professionals are changing careers to ones which allow
for some degree of personal fulfillment and self-actualization. Besides, many
professionals truly love their work and would do it without compensation, as a hobby.
For them, professional fulfillment and personal fulfillment are one and the same.
In conclusion, given the growing demands of career on todays professionals, a
fulfilling personal life remains possible by working smarter, by setting priorities, and by
making suitable career choices.