Why Finding The Right Partner Is Just As Important As Your Career

We often think of single women as career-obsessed and those in relationships as less driven, which is crazy. Since when did love and work become mutually exclusive? Maybe it’s all those rom-coms with the perpetually single career girl. At a certain point, though, you start wanting to love someone as much as you love what you do every day. Once you go down that road, finding the love of your life will seem even more crucial than climbing the corporate ladder (or whatever ladder you have your sights on). Here are 10 reasons that finding the right partner is way more important than your career:

1. Your career will still be there. It’s not an either/or thing, even though we often see it that way. You can find love while still nurturing your day job and your side hustle or your freelance business or however you spend your days and evenings. The sad thing is, if you devote 100 percent of your time to work, you could seriously miss out on meeting the right person. But if you focus on your dating life, it won’t mess up your job.
2. Love is forever. Hopefully, at least. You could get fired tomorrow or realize you want to change industries. If you find the right partner, you’ll have that same person to support you through all the crazy ups and downs, ebbs and flows of your working life. You’ll have the safety and security of knowing that you’ve finally found love and that one section of your life is essentially taken care of. That will give you the comfort and confidence to continue to go after your dreams.
3. Your job won’t always be your true love. Sure, today you’re single and happily working 24/7. You wouldn’t want it any other way. But things change. In a month, in a year, in five years, you could wake up one day and kick yourself for not going on more first dates. If you put in the time now, you’re helping your future self out.
4. Your future BF will inspire you. If he doesn’t, you shouldn’t even be dating him, of course. It may seem crazy to think about when you’re still sitting solo on your couch most nights, but what if your partner is such an inspiration it changes your career path? What if you two go into business together or he gives you a new idea? Take vegan food blogger Ella Woodward – she and her fiancé are building on her amazing success and opening a health-conscious deli. You don’t even know what dreams are in store for you, and maybe love will help you see them even more clearly.
5. Love used to come first. It’s definitely awesome that we don’t have to get married straight out of high school or college anymore. We have the freedom to choose our careers, to go to grad school, to swap jobs as many times as we want until we find the right one. But let’s not forget that before all the crazy changes happened in our modern world, love came before any other decisions. So while our new normal may be finding careers before the right partner, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. It’s not the wrong thing, either, but it’s just different. It’s okay if you still believe in true love and want to focus on going on dates while building your career.
6. You should never hide behind your work. It’s okay, I know you do that. We all do sometimes. After going on a ton of bad dates, or breaking up with someone, or yet another almost relationship that goes nowhere, it’s so much easier to think that work is the only thing that matters. But there’s one problem with that theory: you’re just hiding behind your computer screen. You’re not truly living or going after what you want. If you really want to commit to someone, you have to date. Simple as that, and yet we make it so much harder.
7. You shouldn’t get too comfy. We all have our comfort zones and sometimes it’s okay to stay inside – it’s comfortable for a reason, after all. If work is your own personal comfort zone, that’s a sure sign that you need to put more effort into meeting people. Soon you’ll wake up and be more alone than you ever thought you would be, so it’s better not to let that happen.
8. Be proactive, not desperate. The problem with being single for a long time is that after a while, you start getting desperate. It’s a natural problem. You don’t mean to be, and you never thought you would be this person, but after you never want to go on a second date and never feel that spark with anyone, you start to wonder if you will actually die alone. If you look for a relationship the way that you deal with your career, you won’t be in that position.
9. Love is just as fulfilling. We seem to believe that a relationship can never be as satisfying as our jobs, which is crazy, isn’t it? Haven’t people been falling in love for decades and decades? Doesn’t love make the entire world go round and all that jazz? It’s a total mistake to think you’re too important to fall in love and that you don’t have time to date. When you meet your person, you won’t believe you ever thought that way.
10. You’re adding to your life, not subtracting. Guess what? If you fall in love, think of it as a good thing – and a bonus to your already fabulous life. You don’t have to lose anything, especially not all the hard work you’ve put into your career. So relax and soon you’ll have a full life and prove that yes, you can totally have it all.