Emotional balance is key to career success

By Goretti Kimani

The journey to a successful career is full of ups and downs, and countless problems manifest themselves along the way in the form of difficult bosses, colleagues or even work situations.

These can take a toll on one’s emotional balance, yet for the success-minded individual, it is important to maintain stability in the midst of persistent pressure.

Unbalanced

The modern workplace is populated with emotionally unbalanced people. These so-called emotional wrecks have a habit of personalising everything. They call their boss unfair whenever deadlines are enforced or performance issues are raised.

They also misinterpret comments or reactions from colleagues in the negative.

They have the tendency to blame everyone in the office for their perceived woes, and should you make the mistake of crossing their path, you are sure to receive a thorough tongue lashing.

In their mind, everyone is on their case and they are ready to defend themselves over the slightest perceived provocation.

Emotionally unbalanced people also lack excitement and drive at work, and mostly do the bare minimum necessary to avoid the sack. As a result, they are unhappy and uncomfortable, caught in a prolonged self-pity party.

Irrespective of the cause, however, emotional imbalance is a health hazard that has the potential to not only stall a career, but also kill it. It is, therefore, in an individual’s best interest to put in some effort to rectify this situation.

To start with, one must have a good sense of their emotional index. The following questions will help: Do you have clear life guiding principles or do you move with the wind? Is stress a common word in your conversations? Do you live in a near permanent state of panic? Do you find it difficult to calmly analyse stressful situations? Do you find comfort in seclusion? Do you have trouble working on team assignments? Do you sweat excessively when under pressure? Do you hate your job?

If you answer yes to these questions, then the next step should be to take corrective measures. But if your situation is really bad, consulting a professional may be necessary.

Some personal initiatives can also bring you the desired change. To start with, make strong personal declarations that are necessary for change to manifest.

Don’t use defeatist words to describe your life and stop seeing things from a selfish perspective. Good, positive principles can be entrenched through reprogramming your mind.

Reading culture

A healthy reading culture, especially of personal development books, is also a great way to help you see things in a different, more positive light. In some cases, changing the people you associate with will do the trick. 

Learn to relax and quit worrying about what could go wrong. Worry is the primary mechanism that translates stress into panic.

Good relationships are also a healthy remedy to emotional problems and you must work hard to cultivate them.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Lifelong change will only occur through consistent practice and positive behaviour reinforcement.

The writer is a human resource specialist with Peoplelink Consultants Ltd. Email: [email protected]