Why Values Are More Important Than Career Achievements
Jay Calangi
Technical Recruiter at Thakral One | Ateneo BS Management Engineering 2020 | Let's connect!
People like their job either because of the culture or a sense of achievement. Then, people need to know what motivates them to focus on that. If you can, try to focus on intrinsic motivations you have full control of. Surely, you need to achieve things as a professional but focus on the intrinsic. Valuing mainly extrinsic goals can damage your overall well-being. Then, if you love winning, perhaps it’s best to focus on practicing to win.
Mental fitness means you have the right approach to enjoy what you do. Here, you will have great coping mechanisms to handle your stressors. People cannot control their emotions but can control how they respond. They can try to run from it to cope or use emotions as fuel for their work.
Success doesn’t mean winning or achieving many things in any field. Some people tend to even achieve fewer things when they focus on winning. Focus on being curious about different possibilities rather than an outcome. With this, you’re able to focus on where you are right now and excel.
Make sure also you focus on your values instead of any outcomes. Here, you’re able to focus on getting closer to your values. People can take away everything from you but your ability to pursue values. You can always focus on your journey and ignore everyone else’s.
When trying to do things, focus on mastering all the nuances of the skill. Focus on the passion you have for the job so you can define your success. Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to your past. That way, you’ll be fairly competing on the same terms with someone. Having your values allows you to have the metrics that matter to you. Also, everyone has their values and there is no need to compete.
Always focus on what you enjoy about the job for yourself. If you succumb to other perspectives, you may value what others do. Ask what you enjoyed rather than achieved to maintain mental fitness. This way, the narrative is around what matters to you, not external metrics.
Source: Dr. Josephine Perry