Today I will share my secret to a well-balanced and fulfilling life, what I call the three pillars. Applying life’s lessons as it pertains to these pillars is the key to building a better future for yourself as well as for those in your sphere of influence. Read on to learn what these pillars are!
Why Pillars?
Background
The past decade plus has been a great awakening of sorts. Shifting from being a full-time student to navigating myself through the adult world required not only a change in mindset but lots of self-discovery. While I cannot say that experiencing the journey to get to where I am today was not worthwhile it would also be a lie to admit that I would not have liked some guidance and advice before I set course. It is my hope that To The Next 40 will serve as a beacon for future generations and provide support for those in a similar situation.
Growing up in a traditional Asian family my parents expected and emphasized doing well in school as a means to a well-paying job and being better off than they were – in essence achieving the American Dream. As a result my focus was mainly singular which led to a conscious de-prioritization of other aspects of life. It was not until shortly after finishing graduate school and landing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) position that I realized my life was unbalanced and missing something intangible.
Motivation
As human beings we are wired to be social creatures and I felt that I was missing friends, colleagues, and confidants that I could share successes with and talk out anything weighing on my mind. While my social circle today is still relatively small I have gained a better perspective and appreciation for interpersonal relationships and their role in making my life more whole and complete. I have also only recently become aware of the untapped potential of these relationships in helping realize one’s personal and career aspirations. For example building rapport, gaining trust, and fostering team dynamics can collectively generate a tailwind that pushes everyone including yourself towards a common goal and across the finish line. The ability to interact and relate to others is probably as important if not more so than personal ability when it comes to success. More on this in a future post :-). In this post however we will explain why a well-balanced and fulfilling life is grounded by the three pillars of self-care, finances, and interpersonal relationships.
Pillar #1: Self Care
While it may initially come across as selfish the first step to having the life and future you want is to focus on one’s self. This means devoting time and attention to your physical and emotional wellbeing as well as personal growth and improvement. Physical includes getting enough sleep, staying healthy and fit, and eating well. Emotional includes mental health, monitoring and maintaining energy, and stress management. Finally growth and improvement includes lifelong learning, the pursuit of your life’s mission and purpose, and productivity and time management skills. If anything is missing feel free to chime in with a comment! All the money and social connections won’t mean a thing if you aren’t well enough to enjoy it.
Pillar #2: Finances
As they say money makes the world go round. Whether it’s putting a roof over one’s head, feeding you and yours, purchasing the latest tech gadget, or serving as the fast track ticket to financial independence the ubiquity of money is undeniable. Unfortunately not everyone is given the opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of finance (although there is a tide coming) and as a result they have to resort to trial and error and learning from their own mistakes. Much time, stress, and money can be saved if everyone had access to a core financial curriculum that included savings, budgeting, credit cards, investing, and retirement planning. Without your financial house in order it would be a challenge to not let it impact the intra- and interpersonal aspects of one’s life.
Pillar #3: Interpersonal Relationships
Whether we like it or not we live in a world where we interact with others on a daily basis. This includes family, friends, a significant other, co-workers, and neighbors to list a few. It is through these interactions where many memories are made, where spice and richness are added to the tapestry of life. Even though I am disheartened by the current social divisions and conflicts reported on the news every day I remain steadfast in my belief that we are collectively stronger together than as individuals. Through the blogosphere I hope to illustrate that by listening to one another and showing understanding and empathy to those around us we will not only leave the world in better shape than we found it but also help ourselves in the process. Sometimes not all problems can be solved by a sole individual or vast sums of money – that’s when the ability to engage and relate with people is priceless.
Path Forward
Hopefully a compelling argument has been made that self care, finances, and interpersonal relationships are the foundational pillars to a well-balanced and fulfilling life. If you have a different perspective I encourage you to participate in the conversation. As mentioned in the welcome I don’t presume to be all-knowing and am eager to learn from you the readers. If any of this resonates I encourage you to join in on the dialogue and contribute to our goal of building a better future!
Cheers to the next 40!
~Will
