“Drinking the Kool-Aid” – taking a wellbeing approach to your career

I’m as much a sucker for a fad as the next person – I have hygge’d my living room, Marie Kondo’d my wardrobe and wabi-sabi’d how I entertain.  I LOVE finding new ideas and rituals to enhance my surroundings and improve my wellbeing.  My trick to ensuring I don’t spiral into obsession is to extract  the concepts that work for me and incorporate them into a way of doing things that suits my life rather than force-fitting the whole doctrine to a point where it is more trouble than its worth. 

Recently I’ve been giving some thought to other ways these ideas can be used to improve or enhance my wellbeing and have been delighted to discover ways I can incorporate these philosophies into how we all think about and manage our careers.  

Often, I think people set themselves on a career path with their first job, or the course of study they undertake on leaving school, and then just head on down that road without ever pausing to stop, take a look around and consider alternative paths and detours.  A lineal pathway is the one that is, in the main, shown to us by teachers, parents and other influential figures.  While there is nothing wrong with that approach, it can be a relief to discover that it isn’t the only option. 

I remember a year into my first HR role, having studied the subject at University and deciding it was what I was going to be.  I had a sudden crisis of confidence and a feeling of panic that it might not be what I wanted to do for the next 40 years of my life.  A real ‘what have I done?’ moment.  I will be forever grateful to the colleague who let me know that I still had options.  That it’s never too late to try something new and I wasn’t locked into this career path just because I had selected it from a University course catalogue.  While I have been happy to stay in the HR field in various forms since that time, I still remember what Sarah said to me and to this today I continue to consider my options and ask myself what I want to be when I grow up. 

Given this opportunity we have to constantly re-evaluate and set our career course along the way, I thought I would take a look at how these popular approaches to life – from different corners of the globe – can be applied to our career and how we look at it now and in the future. 

Sparking joy

I so wanted to be a Kondo convert, decluttering my home and downsizing my wardrobe, using the Japanese decluttering expert, Marie Kondo’s guide to cleaning.  In a nutshell, Kondo has you consider each item in your home and ask yourself ‘does it spark joy?’ Those items that do, can stay.  Those which do not are disposed of, after you offer your gratitude to them for their service.  In theory this approach is fantastic, leaving you with a decluttered home containing only items which make you happy.  In reality, my home would be full of beautiful things which spark joy, and nothing to peel the potatoes with.  Giving up on applying this to my home, I looked to find joy in other areas of my life. 

Kondo-ing your CV is a great way to present yourself to potential employers in a way which highlights the things you have done and are proud of, aligning you to similar roles that will spark joy in your future.  For example, if you have been in accounts roles all your life and, while you are good at it, the bits of the jobs you have had that you have enjoyed the most are when you have had the opportunity to teach other people how to do things.  You can highlight in your CV the opportunities you have had to train others, look into professional development options which give you the tools to train as a bigger part of your job, and look at opportunities to mentor others in similar roles.  By highlighting your involvement in, exposure to, or passion for training, you may find you can secure roles that allow this part of you to become a bigger aspect of your career.  Look for the joy in your job to bring more joy to your life. 

Living well is the best revenge

Hygge – the Danish art of living well – is a fad I got into in a big way.  While Kondo-ing is about things, hygge is about an atmosphere and experience that makes you feel at home, safe, shielded from the world, comfortable and happy.  One of the books I read about hygge listed 10 elements of the hygge manifesto – atmosphere, presence, pleasure, equality, gratitude, harmony, comfort, truce, togetherness, and shelter.  I was very on board with getting more hygge into my life, especially in the winter months when low light, cosiness, comfort food, and togetherness are just what we need more of. 

I thought that hygge might be a bit more difficult to apply to careers but looking at the manifesto, I really could see benefits in seeking out hygge when planning or changing your job or career.  While there can be benefits to pushing yourself outside your comfort zone when you have ambitions to move forward in your career, constantly striving for the next step on the ladder can be exhausting.  Sometimes, its ok to say, I’m here and I’m happy.  I enjoy my job, I enjoy the people I work with, I am comfortable with my current level and it fits with my life.  I am present and grateful for the job that I have.  Stepping off the constant hamster wheel of having to progress can be a gift to yourself. While there are times that you want to move up, there are also times when it is better for you (and your family) to stay where you are and let your work be a comfort rather than a challenge.  Hygge your career and be at peace with where you are.  

Embracing the imperfect

The last of the fads I thought I would look at is Wabi-Sabi.  Another ideology originating in Japan, wabi-sabl is an aesthetic that embraces the perfectly imperfect.  It’s one I have only recently explored in relation to entertaining guests at home.    The concept, to me, celebrates moments usually overlooked or underappreciated and encourages noticing and relishing small and hidden gems.  It’s all about putting aside cynicism in favour of awe and delight.  Most importantly it is about letting go of what we think is required of us and replacing it with our own version of what is important.  As someone with the tendency to not be perfect, I find this concept incredibly satisfying to embrace wholeheartedly.  Instead of working myself up into a frenzy when having guests over, I now focus on making these occasions special, and opportunities for enjoyment rather than stress.  Guests will not necessarily notice the dirty windows but will appreciate the homemade bread or that have I chosen their favourite meal to share with them. 

To me, the way this applies to careers, is in learning to be comfortable in your own skin.  To present yourself to potential employers as who you are, rather than who you think they want you to be.  It’s about expressing yourself in a way that may expose your flaws but also demonstrates your strengths and what makes you special and stand out from other candidates.  It’s about being genuine and taking your whole self to work. 

Its all about me!

At the end of the day, the message I take from these philosophies is the benefit of being yourself.  It’s about identifying the things that make you happy and focussing on them.  It’s about choosing the path that fits where you are right now and being happy just to be comfortable sometimes.  And it’s about making your own decisions about what is right for you and your wellbeing, not striving for a perfect career ladder which may or may not play to your strengths or make you happy.  You might like to consider Kondo-ing, hygge-ing or wabi-sabi-ing your career yourself.  You may also like to consider what philosophies and approaches you already embrace in your life and make sure they are translating into your career too.  Whatever works for you – take the pieces that mean something to you to give your life and your career a truly bespoke treatment in order to fit who you are. 

The old adage that to love your work, means to never work a day in your life is true.  The more you enjoy your job and are comfortable doing it, the greater your sense of wellbeing will be.  While not many people bounce out of bed everyday happy to be going to another day of work, your aim should be to do something that brings you more joy than stress or angst. 

bestfit HR careers offers services to support your career and enhance your job search. For assistance determining the best approach to YOUR career, contact Anne-Marie on 022 428 1571 or email bestfithrnz@gmail.com for a free initial consultation and more information on services available.

I used the following books to learn more about the concepts mentioned in this blog:

‘the life-changing magic of tidying up’ – by Marie Kondo

‘The little book of hygge – the danish way to live well’ by Meik Wiking

‘Wabi-sabi welcome’ by Julie Pointer Adams