So there I was surfing the internet on one of those aimless days (don't be deceived, even I have one of those too); and this came jumping at me. Ok, so what does marriage and success, no, more success have in common apart from the normal - moral support, financial support, etc. Is there more to this than what we usually hear? Guess there is ..... and I clicked on it and the rest is history because it's our Inspire post for today.
Your customers are
hugely important. And your key employees. As well as the industry you've
chosen, politics, macroeconomics, and education.
And luck.
While all those are
important factors in the success of your business (or career) and your earning
power, here's one factor you probably haven't considered:
Your spouse.
Researchers at
Washington University in St. Louis found that people with relatively prudent
and reliable partners tend to perform better at work, earning more promotions,
making more money, and feeling more satisfied with their jobs.
That's true for men
and women: "Partner conscientiousness" predicted future job
satisfaction, income, and likelihood of promotion (even after factoring in the
participants' level of conscientiousness.)
According to the
researchers, "conscientious" partners perform more household tasks,
exhibit more pragmatic behaviors that their spouses are likely to emulate, and
promote a more satisfying home life, all of which enables their spouse to focus
more on work.
As one researcher
said, "These results demonstrate that the dispositional characteristics of
the person one marries influence important aspects of one's professional
life." (In nonresearch terms, a good partner both sets a good example and
makes it possible for you to be a better you.)
I know that's true
for me. My wife is the most organized person I know. She juggles family,
multiple jobs, multiple interests--she's a goal-achieving machine. Her
"conscientiousness" used to get on my nerves, until I realized the
only reason it bugged me was because her level of focus implicitly challenged
my inherent laziness.
I finally realized
the best way to get more done was to actually get more done, and she definitely
helps me do that.
And I try to do the
same for her. Since my daily commute is two flights of stairs, I take care of
most of the house stuff: laundry, groceries, cleaning (I don't do all the
cleaning, but I make sure it gets done), etc., so when she comes home she can
just be home.
So, while she's still
much more conscientious and organized than I am, she's definitely rubbed off on
me in a very positive way.
Which of course makes
sense: As Jim Rohn says, we are the average of the five people we spend the
most time with--and that's particularly true where our significant others are
concerned.
Bad habits rub off.
Poor tendencies rub off. We all know that. But good habits and good tendencies
rub off too.
Plus, if one person
is extremely organized and keeps your household train running on time, that
frees the other up to focus more on work. (Of course, in a perfect world, both
people would more or less equally share train-engineer duties so that both can
better focus on their careers, whether those careers are in the home or
outside.)
Keep in mind, I'm not
recommending you choose your significant other solely on the basis of criteria
like conscientiousness and prudence. As the researchers say, "Marrying a
conscientious partner could at first sound like a recipe for a rigid and
lackluster lifestyle."
Nor am I suggesting
you end a relationship if you feel your partner is lacking in those areas.
But it does appear
that having a conscientious and prudent partner is part of the recipe for a
better and more rewarding career.
So instead of
expecting your partner to change, think about what you can do to be more
supportive of your significant other. Maybe you can take on managing your
finances, or take care of more household chores, or repairs, maintenance, or
schedules.
After all, the best
way to lead is by example, and in time you may find that you and your
significant other make an outstanding--and mutually supportive--team.
How awesome does that
sound?
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