Today online, there was a discussion among lawyers about how you define success, and how we should all track our time to measure the return on our investment. Afterwards, I could not help but think what if everyone went through this exercise? Hopefully by now you’ve learned to define success for yourself, and you haven’t lost sight of the fact that the best return on your investment of time is those personal relationships you make in life– because that is your legacy in the end, not how much money you made for your company.
In the last eight years, I have to make some very difficult decisions with significant financial consequences, both at work and at home. While running my own firm in order to have more of a work-life balance, I have paid very close attention to the return on my investment– of both time and money. As a result, I am much more conscious of where I spend my resources and what those efforts yield.
Last year, I made huge sacrifices in time and my personal spending in order to pursue my family reunification. That’s obviously an extreme situation that most thankfully won’t have to go through, but do take a look at your personal relationships and ask yourself whether you are happy with the return of your investment there. If you aren’t satisfied with the results, then ask yourself where you can make changes and come up with an action plan.
Whatever time and money you spend on your family, volunteering for causes you believe in, and even on yourself– just going to the gym, spa, or pursuing an individual interest is a key piece to maintaining inner peace and being happy. Don’t let external demands overwhelm you to a point that you lose sight of what matters most in life. To most companies, you are only as good as yesterday’s sale– to your loved ones, you will always be a rockstar– just don’t take them for granted. 🙂
By Regina A. DeMeo, Esq.
