I initially sat down to write this really ambitious article – chock-full of advice for a young professional on how to avoid burnout in their career. Then I had a reality check and thought: who am I kidding? I don’t know the first thing about how to avoid burnout. Until recently I was a workaholic that did not know how to say “no” to more work and new projects. How can I possibly give advice on how to balance a career and a personal life? So instead I decided to make the focus of this article about the one thing I have learned through my own inability to balance the two: never be afraid to make a change in your life – it may end up being one of the best decisions you will ever make.
For ten years I had a full-time job in arts administration - and loved every minute of it (well, maybe not every single moment, but I really did enjoy the work I was doing!) I was fortunate to be a part of many new productions, meet a variety of artists, work with many knowledgeable colleagues and learn a great deal. I worked long days and through many weekends. Then I had a baby and everything changed. When I went back to work after my maternity leave, I tried to continue working the same hours. I struggled to keep up with the pace that I had been maintaining before I became pregnant, and it just wasn’t working. I remember driving home one night after a show opened – it was probably the third or fourth night in a row that I missed my son’s bedtime and I was completely overwhelmed. I felt guilty when I worked late because I missed spending that time with my son. I felt guilty when I would decide not to stay late because I should be putting more time in on a project. I felt I just couldn’t win. I pulled over on the side of the road and just sat there crying in the front seat of the car, trying to pull myself together. I thought maybe I needed to step back and think about how I could make things better. After discussing it with my husband and lots of number crunching, I decided to take the plunge and quit my full-time job.
Although I felt I made the right decision, I was scared to death. I didn’t want to lose touch with the local theater community and I wanted to stay involved, especially in theater for young audiences. I was fortunate to be able to carve out a free-lance career which would allow me to work in the arts and spend that very necessary time with my son. I now work as a casting director here in town and pick up other small projects, some arts related, some not. So far it has been just the balance I need. It was a really tough decision to make. There are some days when I am petrified that I won’t be able to pick up another project or that I will miss being around lots of people all day long. But for the most part I consider it to be one of the best decisions I ever made - bringing me back to my initial point. I have seen many people over the years unhappy in their current work situation for a variety of reasons, and yet they are scared to make a change. While I am not advocating that everyone drop their current job or switch careers, I think we all need to figure out a way to find a balance in our lives. The change you make can be as small as going home on time at least one day a week, to as big as making a career change. Carving out time for yourself should not be considered a luxury, but a necessity. Not only does it make you a better person, but it also makes you a better employee. Since I left my job I am so much happier (and it is not because I have less work to do - in a way I actually feel like I have more!). I decided to make a change in my life that would not only be the best thing for my family, but also one that would be the best for me.
Michelle Kozlak is a freelance casting director and arts administrator in Washington, DC.Thanks to the NEXT Blog for this article - Topic - Burnout.
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I guess there will come a time in our lives that we have to choose between two things or even more. Our decision simply depends on what is really important to us. We have to figure out what our priorities are and deal with it by making some changes. Not all changes will lead to our expected outcomes but those were the risks. Indeed, we have to be always open with change as this is the only permanent thing that exists here on earth.
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It’s kind of hard for me to decide which one between a career and family. One side, my family needs me, since I’m the last son on them and my mother can’t life without me. But on the other hand, I need a better job so that I can help my family.
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