Am I Enough? :: Gen Z’s Outlook on Work/Life Balance
As a young 26-year-old working in the corporate world, I grew up seeing my parents live out their work lives in a completely different way than my young counterparts in today’s culture. As our culture has evolved, so have our societal norms. Gen Z contributes to a large portion of today’s workforce. Yet, I’m inspired to see how this generation refuses to adapt to the traditional toxicities of the employment industry. Instead, they have demanded that the industry support their needs better.
Life post-COVID has forced us all to wonder: What truly matters most? Since 2020, being in the office five days a week has become a deal breaker when considering a profession. Understandably so, now that we’ve reached a height of maximum productivity without needing to sit in a cubicle for 40 hours a week.
While on my journey of becoming, I have realized that I am much more likely to succeed when I am valued beyond what I can produce. I am blessed to now be in a position where, although I work extremely hard to achieve my goals, I am allowed the flexibility of completing my work in the manner that works best for me. To say that I thoroughly enjoy my work just happens to be an added bonus.
At the end of the day, it always boils down to priorities. The older generations may say that they made it a priority to provide for a family. Regardless of whether or not they were passionate about their career field, their primary goal was to create a stable modern family. They didn’t have the luxury of chasing after their passions. Nowadays, Gen Z’s main priority is ultimately their very own happiness. There is less pressure to have a typical 9-5 and a higher expectation to chase whatever dreams are written on your heart.
Somewhere along the way, Gen Z decided that you do not have to sacrifice joy for your career. Nor should you. The greatest anchor in my life has been to remind myself where my true identity lies. As much as I love working in the corporate world and attaining every dream that my heart desires, my worth is not found in what I DO. Instead, my worth will always be found in whom I follow. We don’t work FOR purpose; we work FROM it.
This has been crucial for me as I’ve navigated through my career. I believe that’s a part of being the “salt of the earth.” As a daughter of Christ, I don’t need any external achievement to validate my existence. The grace of God has already given me that. And now that I have found this freedom, it excites me knowing that I can point my colleagues to something greater than themselves. To a relationship that is not transactional, like the connections we’ve been exposed to in the corporate world. To a love that does not require your perfect performance.
It's taken me some time, but I've learned that my career matters much less than the One who is ordering my steps. And as long as my identity maintains that solid foundation, I will always be enough.
To hear more from Aduré, check out her podcast episode!
Aduré Oleru was raised in the suburban town of McKinney, Texas, near the outskirts of Northern Dallas. She graduated with a degree in Human Sciences from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Post-graduation, she accepted her first full time job working in ministry at Passion City Church located in Atlanta, Georgia. After a year of ministerial leadership, she transitioned into the corporate world and became an event planner for Southface Institute. As the company strived to save the planet by making new ecological advancements, Oleru was responsible for orchestrating all events for the institution. This includes hiring chefs, decorating the space, coordinating the entertainment, and developing the “Run of Show” agenda for the evening. After a year, she transitioned into her now current role as a Member Service associate on the Brand 50 team for a company called World 50. She is in charge of 75 divisional CMOs of the top C-Suite companies in the world.
In addition, she also serves in her local church in the heart of Midtown, Atlanta. In her free time, she enjoys pilates, discovering new coffee shops in the city, playing tennis, and leading a bible study for women in Atlanta who are seeking Godly community. Her deepest desire is to work in the business of abolishing human trafficking, thus being one of her biggest passions.