Happiness, balance, career satisfaction: a framework for reflection.

Happiness, Balance, Career Satisfaction. The end of the year brings an opportunity to reflect on our personal experience with each of these three things.

If you are willing to play along with me for a moment, I challenge you to take this opportunity to reflect on your year.

How would you rate yourself in Happiness? Balance? Career Satisfaction?

What grade would you give yourself for each of these elements?

For those of you who are skeptical about whether attaining these are possible for you, I would challenge you to ask yourself what has you believe it isn’t?

In 2023, after an incredibly fulfilling career in executive recruiting and talent management, I got clear on my next step. I would launch my own executive coaching and leadership development firm. There were several critical people involved in the confidence I cultivated to actually do it.

My desire to live in alignment with my purpose and have an impact on the lives of others drove me to do the work. In an article I wrote for LinkedIn, I talked about the power of sharing your vision with others. In 2023, I did a lot of that, and while I wasn’t attuned to the words of happiness, balance, and career satisfaction at the time, I can say that all three of these elements absolutely played a role in my desire to take the leap.

I can honestly say that 2024 went nothing like I planned – from January to December. It was a year filled with happiness, balance, career satisfaction… and success.

Was it all perfect? Of course not. There is still so much to learn and so much room to grow. I am grateful for all of it - my support system, the leap, and the results.

As we enter a new calendar year, I challenge you to design a 2025 where you prioritize: Happiness, Balance and Career Satisfaction.

Here’s a framework to get the practice going.

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Imagine it is December 2025. What was your experience over the last year in happiness, balance and career satisfaction? Create it. Create it for yourself. 

Let’s pretend you were a C on happiness, a D on balance and a B- career satisfaction in 2024. How was 2025 different? How did you get your grades up? What did you put into practice for yourself and what was that experience like for you? Go.

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If you need help with any of this, you know where to find me.

Carolyne Savini has accelerated the growth and development of thousands of executives, leaders, and teams — from multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment organizations to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and startups. As founder and CEO of The Catalyst Executive, Carolyne has dedicated herself to partnering with organizations that value proactive executive development. As an executive coach, she empowers leaders by supporting them in removing the barriers in the way of their success.

Learn more about The Catalyst Executive.