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Societal Norms

How often have we heard our parents , grandparents , teachers or generations before us say , “ Get educated , get a job , and get established in your career so you can provide for your future ?” What they usually don ’ t add is that often that career path comes at a price – usually to our health and happiness as we continually strive to live up to expectations – theirs and our own .

Yes , climbing the corporate ladder certainly does bring its benefits , such as a bigger salary , more perks , perhaps a corner office with a view , a shiny new title and financial stability . But it also comes with additional responsibilities , pressures , stressors and expectations . As in , you ’ ve been given an opportunity , and the perks to go with it , and now you need to give ‘ your pound of flesh ’ in return for that privilege .

Societal perceptions of what success looks like also contributes to this picture . We regularly see variations of how we should be “ living our best life ” spread across the various social media platforms and tabloids . This is not wrong , but it ’ s also not a realistic perspective . What you ’ re not seeing is the hours and hours of sacrifice for those perceived moments of “ living our best life .”

Another factor that plays a key role is the life-plan and milestones we envisaged for ourselves , which often dictate our priorities . However , as we shift through these different life stages and milestones , e . g . graduation ,

getting married , having children , big birthdays , etc , our priorities and outlook on life changes .

Traditional Outlook

The older generations , notably the ‘ Baby Boomers ,’ were conditioned to the lifestyle of getting a job and sticking to it , whilst taking care of your family at the same time . This often meant that you were loyal to a single organisation for your whole working lifetime , and they rewarded you with a golden handshake and pension cheque to retire and live out your best life . This started shifting as the Gen Z ’ s started to question what a career really meant , having seen their parents dedicate their lives to having stability and certainty . Many have started to rebel against this idea , and instead want fulfilling careers and a lifestyle rather than being chained to a corporate desk .

The Millennial and Gen Zs have certainly changed this narrative by wanting to experience life to its fullest , and opting for a gig economy lifestyle , or even starting their own revenue-generating activities that allows them to experience life on their terms . Younger people are also waiting to be more financially established before settling down , often placing large amounts of pressure on themselves to achieve their career aspirations in as short a time as possible . The result being more stress and higher demands on their employer to accelerate their career progress .

I ’ ve worked with several young professionals of late who are suffering from huge amounts of doubt and insecurity due to not having achieved the plans they had envisaged for themselves , and constantly comparing themselves to their peers and how they are matching up .

Meanwhile , the pandemic has forced us to sit up and take stock of our lives , and what we deem important now versus pre-COVID times . With all the change and uncertainty thrust upon us , we ’ ve started to realise that things we once thought were important may no longer be the case . We ’ ve realised the true value of

relationships , family , friendships , independence , freedom of movement and human connection .

Changing Times

As the world becomes more technologically enabled , together with COVID forcing us to re-evaluate our lives and lifestyle , we ’ ve also realised we can work from anywhere , and that life is too short , so we are now searching for the meaning and purpose in our lives , resulting in career shifts as we pivot and reinvent ourselves .

We ’ re beginning to challenge our definition of success ( and failure ), being honest about who we are , why we are here , where we are going and what we really want in life . Of course , as we begin to shape the answers to these questions and gain new insights , they are bound to trigger new learnings , profound personal growth and a path toward living a quality life on our terms .

Paula Quinsee is a relationship and life coach , Tedx speaker and author of Embracing Conflict and Embracing No . She is a passionate advocate for healthy relationships and personal transformation , and works with both individuals and companies to better understand relationship patterns , communication and conflict styles , emotional behaviours and traits , and how to have healthier human interactions in both our personal and workplace worlds . More info at www . paulaquinsee . com .

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