Life is all about achieving balance

As we look ahead to 2025, it feels like a good time to remind ourselves of the importance of these three questions – what are you good at? What do you love doing? And who will pay you to do this?

I have spoken before about these questions and I make no apologies for mentioning them again. I continue to focus on the value of really thinking about my answers. And encourage others to do the same.

Whatever stage in life, we need to earn money – a pursuit that more often than not  takes up a considerable amount of our precious time. Surely then, it’s best to make sure you are paid to do something you are good at and that you love. It may sound idealistic, but I do believe, with planning and creativity, it IS possible.

Is it worth the sacrifice?

It can be tempting to slog away at something that you’re good at and that earns you lots of money, but lacks a sense of joy. Lots of people take this route. The hope is usually that later in life you can stop doing it and have the time and money do the things you love. But considering we don’t know what lies ahead, is this the best use of your time? Do you really want to work to the bone, only to find your health has deteriorated and you’re not able to fully enjoy what you wanted to all along? In my opinion, the joy is best interwoven as early as possible.

If you’re lucky enough to achieve the good at / love doing / paid to do holy grail in one profession, then go for it. That’s something to be truly grateful for. But the reality is that this may not be possible with just one job (it rarely is, in my experience). Sometimes we’re good at things but don’t love them; sometimes we love something we’re not very good at (or just learning how to do).

Inject the things you love into life

The reality is that we probably need to combine two (or more!) different roles. Maybe you spend time doing a job you’re good at (and perhaps don’t love) to earn more money. But then you balance this out. You inject the things you love, even if you’re not good at them or don’t get paid well for doing them.  

Why mix it up like this? Because doing just one or the other can be truly soul-destroying, no matter how much money you get paid or how much you love something. You need the balance. Life is balance.

So what does this look like for you? If you’re retired, do you feel you achieved this with your work life? And most importantly, are we setting up future generations to achieve it? Looking to 2025, I am certainly going to focus on getting the balance right and modelling this for the young people around me.