Following college I got a job at a small company of around 10 people. A little over 4 years in now and we’ve been able to grow it to over 300 people and have become a national presence in a niche industry. Getting in so early has put me in a really good spot and as a result I’m in a position that would typically take someone with my degree in this industry 10+ years of career experience to achieve. On the flip side, I’ve committed so much time and energy to achieve the success I’ve achieved in my career and the success my company has experienced. I’ve moved across the country twice and both times I haven’t really been able to establish a personal life. I go to work at 7am and get home around 8. Chores, dinner, back at it tomorrow. On the weekends I’m catching up on sleep and trying to decompress. I really do enjoy my job, my coworkers, and my company and have no intention on leaving.
Lately it’s become really apparent that I am not the same person I was 4 years ago. I used to be a social butterfly, active in my hobbies and my community, and someone that I think my friends would genuinely describe as an “interesting” person. I feel like I’ve lost all of that and don’t see any way back. I’ve been in a new city for a little over a year and haven’t made any friendships outside of work. Relationships aren’t sustainable because I don’t have the time to contribute. How in the hell do I make time to find myself again? I feel like I’m at risk of completely losing myself to my career.
It doesn’t help that a lot of my hobbies are somewhat solitary. Reading, painting, cooking, hunting, carpentry, photography, movies, music