“How am I? Well, I guess I should say, “great”. After all, I’ve still got a decent job in a tough economy. But, for some reason I don’t feel totally great. But I can’t put my finger on why.”

That, in a nutshell, is a pretty common statement from people who come to a coach. It’s one of the reasons why, in 2001, I created “The Four Windows Method” for our leadership and executive clients. It’s predicated on the belief that each of us is more than just our job. Our lives are really comprised of three separate aspects:

The professional aspect is the part that goes out everyday to make a living. Hopefully this is something that is satisfying, positive, and offers opportunities for growth.
The personal aspect is the part of us that does things that needs to be replenished and recharged with family or friends.
The financial aspect is the part of us that manages our money, making sure we can pay our bills, create savings, and look after our goals.

One of the questions I ask people during a consultation call is, “Do you think you can keep your personal life separate from your professional life?” Very frequently, the answer I get is yes. Those folks are wrong. If you are serious about your career, you cannot keep it separate, forever, from the other sides of your life. Ultimately, the wall will come down. And if you haven’t looked after each of the three key life aspects, you’re going to see imbalance and probably problems at that time.

For a quick check-up on how you’re doing, this link will take you to a short test we use at Business Success Coach.net. It will give you some feedback about how you rank in quality of life. To get into the test, you’ll need to login with: Username: quality and Password: success.

Please use the comments area below to share how you fared and how accurate the assessment seems to you. It will allow other Tech Republic readers to make some conclusions about where they’re at.

Here’s to your future!

john

Leadership Coach