By Anne Guo

Let’s talk bottom lines and making choices. As example, I will share a story with you. When, I was in grad school getting my PhD in computer science, I was working with one advisor and we just didn’t work well together.  I was becoming so stressed out that I was losing my hair. Literally. While shampooing, I would find wads of it clogging our drain.

I knew that whatever it took, I would have to significantly change my situation because I didn’t want to go bald!  So, I switched advisors–even though it meant graduating later. I can deal with a lot of different things, but my bottom line for making a change was losing my hair.

In the end, my new advisor was great, and thankfully, my hair grew back. Thus, if you go too long violating one of your bottom lines, you risk hurting your self-esteem and even your health.  

Notice here, I didn’t quit grad school. It wasn’t all or nothing. I changed advisors and my research area. Yes, it took a little longer to achieve my goal, but I was happier and healthier because of the changes I made. Often times, we can be stuck considering too few options. My goal is to help you acquire the ability to expand your options and ultimately find health and job satisfaction.  

Someone once told me that we are all juggling 3 balls in life: work, relationships, and health.  The work ball is made of rubber but the relationship and health balls are made of glass. You want to be careful not to drop those two.  It’s a very simplified view, but it kind of resonates with my values. You can try it on and see how you’d describe what material your 3 balls are made of.  

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