The growth in our career usually has a direct relation with the amount of time and effort that we put at work. The more we invest at work, the likeliness of us getting promoted to the next level or getting a better job increases. And that is a fair deal. Seeing our efforts being fruitful is both satisfying and rewarding. Getting recognition and appraisal keeps us motivated and helps us to aim for higher goals.
But when it comes to investing in relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, there is no simple rule. All relationships are unique and different. What may work for someone, may not work for the other. Building strong and meaningful relationships in life take time and patience. Moreover, they are unpredictable. One can invest in a relationship for years, but it may or may not work out. I like to think that investing in relationships is like growing a tree. When the plant is small, it is fragile and requires a lot of care and attention. But when the tree grows and becomes strong, it relies on self-care and selflessly let others reap its benefits. And sometimes, even when we do everything right in nurturing the plant, the plant may not live and perish due to external factors over which we have no control.
This is the reason I believe that investing heavily at work than in personal relationships is both attractive and lucrative. And there is nothing wrong about it if it is a choice made consciously. To be honest, it is a logical and safer choice. And no one should make you feel bad about it. But many times, it happens that we are not fully aware of this choice. We are so focused on growing our career, that we unknowingly but willingly compromise in other areas of our life. And if that is happening with you, maybe it is time to take a step back and see how you can better plan and manage your time. Being cautious about the choices that we make early in life, gives us leverage and better control over our life.
It may actually be nice if, in our journey of pursuing success, we have family and friends with whom we can celebrate our success. On similar thoughts, I would like to share one of my personal favorites quotes from Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix and half a dozen other successful startups,
“The thing that I’m probably most proud of in my life is that I’m still married to the same person throughout all of these startups and that I’m good friends with all of my kids”
In my opinion, that is something to be indeed proud of.