Photo: urbanbellemag.com

For many, a healthy marriage and a successful career may not sound like they could go hand in hand. After all, how does one reconcile the sometimes strenuous demands of a corporate career without endangering the fragile equilibrium of matrimony and family? How can we muster enough dedication and commitment to keep pushing forward in our careers while still achieving the proverbial work-life balance? And last but not least, how do you manage to find the TIME to do both, all the while trying to put in extra hours and plan the occasional date with the hubby?

So it may seem strange to argue that actually working on your marriage may just give an added boost to your career. Yet it is very much true…Most married corporate sisters I’ve talked to over the years have admitted that as hard as it is to juggle career and family, the added stability of a healthy marriage has allowed them to be more effective at work. Besides, knowing that in the midst of their struggles and victories in the corporate jungle, they can always count on a supportive partner to lift them up in times of need,or just listen to them griping about that horrible boss, makes a world of difference.

In my own experience, I’ve found that a marriage, just like a career, takes work, dedication, commitment, and TIME…And it is necessary to allocate to it the right amount of effort and yes, TIME, in order for it to be a solid foundation for the rest of our lives, including our careers, for many different reasons:

Your partner is your partner, even after you’re done burning the midnight oil on that year-end project…And when you get home in need of much rest, guess who might just be there to give you a foot rub…Yup, not that year-end project…

Your biological clock is still ticking, despite all the embryo freezing technology and arguments about women’s fertility. It’s just nature’s course, and if it having babies is part of your life plan, a good marriage may just help…

You need the support system! As “independent woman” as we may all want to believe we are, it doesn’t hurt to use some support every now and then, or every day…Besides, having another pair of hands to pick up the groceries, shuttle the kids to soccer practice or just remember to turn the heat off, may just allow you to finish that report and submit it on time…

It’s better to take risks when you have a partner to fall back on than when you don’t…Successful careers take more than work and dedication, they also require a certain amount of gut and risk. And when you can jump off some bridge with someone by your side holding your hand, you should definitely work on not letting that hand go….

At the end of the day, being in a healthy marriage will make you happier than having a good job. It’s not just what a large body of research has found, it’s just what my grandmother will tell you after 60 years of marriage and a brilliant career…

Last but not least, divorce is way too expensive! As challenging as marriage coupled with a career can be at times, it may just not be worth starting over financially, professionally and emotionally again. Work on what you have, and it may just be what you need after all…

Do you think working on your marriage will boost your career?

The Corporate Sister.