Are you life or career oriented? There is actually a point to this question. Let me define what I mean and then I’ll tell you what I am talking about. Everyone in life makes a lot of different decisions about a lot of different things, when it comes to deciding what kind of life you’re going to have – you do have choices. These choices will impact not only the kind of person you are, but the type of marriage that you have.
The Career Oriented
When your life is career oriented, you base the majority of your decisions around how it affects your career. You chose your school, your core curriculum and even your home around proximity to your career. When you are career oriented, it will affect even the choices you make about your marriage.
For example, you may avoid the destination wedding or long distance honeymoon because of the time away from your career. A career is more than a job. It’s a way of life. You live, breathe and think about the job. You go to work not because you have to, but because you want to. You take classes to improve in your job. You bring your work home because it’s what you want to do in the evenings after the house quiets down.
You are not necessarily a workaholic. But you know by excelling at what you do and doing what you love, your family is more than provided for. You may not enjoy all the little things in life, but you do enjoy your career.
The Life Oriented
When you are life oriented, success at work is nothing more than an improvement in the paycheck and maybe a little bit of personal pride. You don’t live for your job. You live for the experiences you have in life. You’re like interested in new experiences with your spouse and your family.
You like to live by the seat of your pants and it’s always about moving from experience to experience. You don’t worry if the vacation may cost you the promotion because the vacation is about a new experience and the promotion is just about the job. You don’t necessarily take a class to get better at your job, but you’ll definitely take a class that lets you explore a new part of life.
You are interested in doing your job only in as much as it supports your life and you leave the job at the office. When you’re home, you’re 100% there.
So What Was the Question Again?
So are you career oriented or life oriented and what does it have to do with your marriage? Most people who read this know that life oriented sounds like more fun, but that’s not necessarily the case. Chances are, you’ve been both. I’ve been both career oriented and life oriented. I’m neither and both now, I enjoy the experiences my career helps us afford.
Consider, if you can, if you are all one or all the other, how blending the two can make your life a fuller, more balanced place to be and how your choices affect you as a spouse? If you aren’t sure, ask your spouse what they think – if nothing else, you might get a great conversation out of it!