7 Career Principles That Can Change Your Personal Life

“You can take a sister out of her career, but not the career out of the (corporate) sister.” If you’ve never heard the phrase, it’s because I totally made it up. Yet, if you look around at many of the corporate sisters around you, starting with good ol’ YOU, you’ll notice most of us display some of the same behaviors in our personal lives, as we do…ahem, at work.

Like when we drown in to-do lists for everything from how to separate the laundry by color, to the type of gluten-free bread to buy…Or when you tell the hubby, in your most romantic tone: “Can we schedule our love-making session for a more convenient time?” Or when your kid asks you why chocolate doesn’t grow on trees (which by the way is a perfectly valid question), and you ponder your thoughts for a minute before carefully replying: “Can I get back to you on this? Let’s table it for now.”

Whether we realize it or not, or admit to it or not, work seeps into our daily lives in both small and big ways. Even when we think we’re totally unplugged from work (with the exception of your work phone, you never know if a really important email that would change your entire career comes in the middle of the night), we’re taking some of our work habits with us. From list making to crucial family meetings and other personal “executive” decisions, there’s always something out there giving away the corporate sister in us…

Luckily, even if we sound slightly annoying to our anti-corporate (and anti-paycheck-or-personal-hygiene) cousin twice-removed, there are some great advantages to bringing some our career’s structure to our lives. Especially after your brain cells retired after baby number three, or when being “politically correct” is the only way to preserve any family ties. So for all those among us who don’t have time to switch off our brains between work and home, here are 7 career principles that can make your personal life much easier (and did I mention preserve family ties):

A to-do list will save your life (and your laundry): You know the woman who’s methodically crossing items off her checklist at the supermarket? Yes, the one whose cart is not filled with last-minute impulse-shopping items like triple-chocolate-filled OREO’s? Yes, that one…While some things should be spontaneous (like falling asleep on the couch in the middle of 20/20), others are better planned, written down and organized, so nobody loses their mind (or has to eat load of triple-chocolate-filled OREO’s for days)! Just sayin’…
Speak up! In your personal life as in your career, your ideas and insight need to be heard. Like when everyone wants to do pizza night when you’re craving sushi. Or when the house schedule could use a serious overhaul, so we’re not known as the “always fashionably late” family. For all those times when it comes down to business at home, keeping in mind this powerful career and life principle can seriously make a difference.
Be visible! One of the hallmarks of success in Big Corporate is visibility. Are you visible enough to make an impact on the power players at work? Are your contributions known? In the same way, are you present in your personal life? You may be there for everyone, always ready to lend a hand, but do people know how much of an impact you have?
Fake it ’til you make it! Now that’s my motto! It’s not about being unauthentic or not being authentic. Instead, are you projecting your ambitions and desires into who you are now? At work you can dress for the position you want, volunteer for challenging projects, etc. In your personal life, this could translate into carrying yourself a certain way, as well as adopting winning mindsets that set you apart.
Stay “on brand”! Whether you’re known as the “Challenger”, or the “Hard Worker” at the office, you can build your own personal brand in your every day life as well. It helps people understand and bond with you better, while you get to hone in on your natural talents and skills.
Learn from your mistakes! Everyone messes up, in the office or in real life. But when we really miss out, is when we don’t learn from it to get better. There’s a reason why you work is reviewed and scrutinized by management! And there’s also a reason why admitting your mistakes in real life and working to better yourself can take you a long long way…
Take the initiative! Initiative is strongly rewarded at work, and should also be praised in real life. As you’re starting projects and initiating positive change in the workplace, why not do the same in your personal life? Not only will it add a greater dimension to your life, it will also inspire others.