Balance your Buckets: Secrets to Happiness at Work
/GUEST POST BY JESSICA CARROLL
What’s up my fellow entrepreneurs and girlbosses? I ask you one very important question:
Do you love what you do every single day?
Now I want you to answer honestly. Don’t kid yourself. Are you truly happy with your life? If you answered "Yes," then I give you a huge imaginary air high five right now (maybe even a hug because I am a "hugger"). If you answered "No" or "Maybe" then hopefully the lessons I share below can help bring you happiness at work and during your everyday life.
First things first, you need to know that ONLY YOU can choose happiness! You could read every inspirational blog post and self help book out there, but in the end its up to you to swipe right for Bliss.
As a digital entrepreneur who manages a growing YouTube channel, Fashion Blog, and on-camera personality career, it most definitely ain’t easy. There have been many, and I mean many nights that I have cried myself to sleep (my mother can attest).
With that being said, throughout all the ups and downs I have learned some valuable lessons on how to balance my time, and find happiness every day. Most of these lessons I learned from my father, who sadly passed away 3 years ago. He was a rockstar entrepreneur, and I aspire every day to live up to his achievements.
1.) Set Goals & Make Deadlines /
My Dad always said, "Goals are dreams with action steps."
Ever since I can remember my dad had me set goals and write them down, and I continue to do so every year and now, every month. Setting goals should not be a stressful thing; don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Set goals that inspire you, will bring you happiness, keep you focused, and help you grow as a person. At the beginning of every month I write down my goals for my career. Now I am a firm believer in thinking BIG. You want to set goals that will push you but are still achievable. If you accomplish every single goal you write down then you aren’t thinking big enough. Make sure to write them down and even better, share them with someone, it will help keep you accountable.
As an entrepreneur you are your own boss so give yourself deadlines. For example, every week I will post 2 videos on my YouTube channel, I post one article on my fashion blog, I will have one new brand deal, and I will connect with one new person a week. Whatever it takes to get that done, I will do it. Set specific deadlines for example: by Sept 15th I will have my new business cards done and will have updated my new hosting reel. Deadlines will also help keep you accountable. Then create a strategy to accomplish them. Hello day planner.
2. Create A Kick Ass Team /
You might think, “Oh I got this! I can totally run my brand all on my own!” Well guess what…you probably can’t. And plus, everyone needs a cheerleader. Do you know what TEAM stands for? Together Everyone Achieves More. Create a solid team who all see the big picture and believe in the success of your brand. Know your strengths and find someone to help you overcome your weaknesses. Trust me, no one is perfect. There is someone out there whose strengths will be your weaknesses and BOOM…the two of you will immediately be happier.
For example, I love connecting with people on or off camera, I am a creative person, I am the ultimate go-getter, so my team consists of my amazing boyfriend who helps with all my camera work/editing, as well as narrowing down my scripts. He is also way better at managing the business side of things, so together we make a kick ass team. It’s also much more fun when you can bounce ideas off someone you trust.
Now lets talk about your support system. Everyone needs cheerleaders. My dad was always my biggest cheerleader. Ever since I was a little girl, before I would go on stage to perform (I was a dancer), he would have me repeat this montra, “Big smiles, Sharp moves, Perform for thousands!” And you know what, even though he isn’t here, I still say that every time before I go on camera.
Now onto my mom, or should I say my Momager. No matter how crazy my ideas get she always has my back and that is so important. Not to mention my friends. My poor "peeps," they have done some wacky things for me, and I love them for it.
3. Balance Your Buckets /
I recently read this new book called, "The Happiness Equation" by Neil Pasricha. He talked about the three buckets of life. We all have 168 hours in a week. You have that, I have that, even Oprah has that. No one can buy more time (my Dad found that out the hard way). When you split that time into three buckets of 56, you have 56 hours for sleep (8 hours a night), 56 hours for work (8 hours a day plus some evening/weekend time), which leaves you 56 hours for "fun" time. Your "Fun" bucket includes “You" time: workout, friends, family, faith, travel, whatever it is that keeps you ticking. It is so important to always leave time for those you love and yourself, because in the end LOVE is all that really matters. Remember that.
Now re-evaluate your life so you can balance your time into those buckets. I know it’s challenging but trust me it is the key to happiness.
4. Celebrate Life! /
Dad always celebrated life. He would work hard and play even harder. Celebrating even the smallest of victories along the way. Stop every once in a while and look where you're at, then turn around and recognize how far you've come, even if it's just a baby step...Celebrate it!
For example, in less than 4 months I gained 50,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. Now, even though that number is small, and I know it’s going to grow BIG, I still celebrated that victory with my friends, family, and fans on YouTube. If you've worked hard for something that you've achieved, make it be known and celebrate. You deserve it. Life is not all about work, or setting the next goal, its about making life fun.
Another huge lesson I learned as an entrepreneur is the practice of gratitude.
There is a wise saying from Tony Robbins, “The antidote to fear is gratitude. The antidote to anger is gratitude. You can’t feel fear or anger while feeling gratitude at the same time.” That is so true. Recently I was introduced to the Five Minute Journal. Basically, the first thing you do when you wake up is write down 3 things you are grateful for. Expressing gratitude towards others and yourself is such an amazing feeling. Those around you are a reflection of yourself, so if you are angry, stressed and upset, others become your mirror and reflect your own feelings. So exuding happiness and joy make those around you feel those positive vibes and are more likely to reflect those wonderful emotions back to you.
Being an entrepreneur is stressful, without a doubt, and if you’re like me, on occasion I take my stress out on those I love the most. Therefore, I thank my loved ones all the time! In fact, I can’t thank them enough because I would not be where I am today without them.
I ask you again: Do you love what you do everyday?"If the answer is "Yes" then big hugs to you. If "No" is your answer, I hope the lessons I've shared help you find happiness every day. Remember, we only live one life so make it YOURS! Take control of you life and make sure you wake up every day with a smile!
You get to choose HAPPINESS! How cool is that?
Jessica Carroll is a Canadian American on-camera host, digital entrepreneur, and dynamic social media personality with nearly 100,000 followers spanning across her media platforms. She’s gained the reputation of being an energetic and engaging host through her work for Hollyscoop, LA Live, Afterbuzz TV, and several other online platforms and TV shows including E! News. She has her own YouTube channel where some of her videos have over 2 millions views. Jessica loves to transform into a beauty “guinea pig” and test out celebrity-endorsed products, as well as, share fun, feel-good fashion, fitness, and lifestyle tips with her followers. Jessica is also the host and founder of DressJessXO.com, a rapidly growing multi- platform social media outlet for the fun and trendy fashion of today.
