When was the last time you asked yourself: “Is my career helping me build the life I actually want?”

I’ve found there are two extremes when it comes to how people approach work, money, and life.

At one end of the spectrum are those who have little idea what’s coming in or going out. They don’t save for the future, and debt dictates their options.

At the other end are the FIRE advocates - the Financial Independence Retire Early crowd - who live so leanly in pursuit of freedom that they can end up restricting the joy that makes life worth living.

Most of us sit somewhere in between.

My own approach is about balance. I plan for the future - pension, investments, savings - but I also want to enjoy today. I spend on what matters to me, skip what doesn’t, and make sure I’m budgeting intentionally rather than reactively.

And this applies just as much to your career as it does to your finances.

Your work should enable both:

• the future you want in 10, 20, or 30+ years, and
• the lifestyle you want right now.

Ask yourself:

Is my career allowing me to save and prepare for the future and giving me the time, energy, and freedom to live well today?

Many of the people I coach tell me they’d love to reduce their hours, travel more, or build a business on the side, but they assume they can’t afford to. Often, they simply haven’t done the maths. Sometimes the trade-off is smaller than you think.

Could adjusting your spending on things that don’t really matter buy you more time for what does?

There are two main levers: what you spend and what you earn.

Your mortgage, rent, food, and fuel might be largely set. But the “optional” layer of lifestyle costs is usually within your control. Are you putting your focus and energy where it matters most? 

Another lever is income: could you negotiate a raise, go for that promotion, or explore a new role elsewhere? And if this is something you are considering, ask yourself “would doing so make life better, or just busier?”

Your career and finances are deeply connected. Together, they shape how much freedom you have - not just someday, but every day.

Your work should support your lifestyle - not consume it

When your career aligns with your life goals, it gives you both stability and space. It funds the experiences that matter to you and lets you show up as your best self beyond work.

You can still be ambitious and have boundaries. The two aren’t opposites - they’re partners in building a sustainable, fulfilling life.

My perspective

I genuinely love what I do. But I also know that nothing is guaranteed - not the company, not the economy, not even my own long-term interests. So I plan for that.

Here’s my secret to career success: when I felt most stuck in my career, I was focused solely on my career. But that’s not why we’re here - we’re here to live a life.

My joy came back when I shifted my focus from building a career to building a life. A life that includes travel, adventure, helping others, motorcycles, waves, and thousands of books still to read.

My career is the tool that helps me do some of that today - while saving for a future that gives me security and excites me. I don’t hide from my dreams, but I also don’t delay living for “someday.”

That’s what alignment really means to me: your career and your life working together, not competing for your time and energy.

I have seen too many amazing individuals burn out because they focused so hard on their career, they lost touch of who they truly were and the life they actually wanted to live.

If this has you thinking, here are a few reflections to explore:

• What do I want my work to make possible for me?
• Am I spending my time, energy, and income on what truly matters?
• What small change could bring me more balance today?
• What’s one thing I can do this month to invest in both my present and my future?
  

I am taking my time this autumn to reflect on my life, as I do each year. To take stock of my career and finances and ensure they are aligned with the life I want to live. 

Make sure you do too. 

If you would like to explore this further with 1:1 coaching, drop me an email at [email protected] and let’s explore how we can work together.

Always with love,

Elsa x