While the US economy added 288,000 jobs in April, the strongest month for job growth in two years, a former executive at Exxon has some unusual advice those people re-entering the workplace after being unemployed: Don’t worry so much.
Bob Epperly, the former general manager of Exxon’s corporate research division and later a chief executive officer of a startup company, said people who have been unemployed for a long time may be anxious to jump back into their careers and actually spend too much time on the job in order to make up for lost time.
“For those lucky enough to have decent employment, many feel insecure and are willing to skew their work-life balance into a tailspin, with exaggerated emphasis in their career,” said Epperly, whose new book “Growing Up After Fifty: From Exxon Executive to Spiritual Seeker”, offers tips for balancing work and personal life. “Most people cannot afford to simply refuse the demands of their job, so what’s a worker to do?”
Epperly offered these suggestions to help ease the transition while not going overboard with career demands:
- Ambition Can Be Self-Defeating — “If professional ambition is more important to you than anything else in your life, that’s a red flag that your life is dangerously unbalanced. The consequences will be painful feelings of emptiness, lack of fulfillment, and having missed ot. Take Steps now to restore balance, beginning with personal, non-work relationships.
- Life Is Short — “No one ever says, at the end of their life, that they should have worked longer and spent less time with family. When it’s all said and done, life is short, and man realize that time is life’s most precious resource. Intense focus on work tends to deprive professionals of opportunities with their loved ones, moments and memories that cannot be replaced. Set goals for how much time you’ll spend giving your family 100% of your attention each day and week and stick to them!”
- Communicate More Effectively — “The importance and value of real communication cannot be overemphasized. More important than speaking is listening. My relationships immediately improved when I began listening carefully to what was being said.”
- You Are Solely Responsible for Your Life — “The Serenity Prayer goes a long way in work-life balance. It reads, ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ “
- Accept Yourself — “When a friend asked me, ‘Do you think the world is ready to accept Bob Epperly just as he is?’ I suddenly saw that I had always felt I had to accommodate. That I wasn’t okay as I am. I started to give myself permission to be me.”