How I Center Myself Everyday to Be More Productive And Make Sure My Work is Meaningful

How I Center Myself Everyday to Be More Productive And Make Sure My Work is Meaningful When starting out in zu sich career, Yvette Vargas felt, like many women, that she needed to keep the spheres of her life separate.I used to have separate selves mother to my children, wife to my husband, caretaker to my parents, employee and friend. I thought that compartmentalizing my different selves would help me manage each relationship better, she said.However, its only by working to integrate her selves and finding a job that allows her to bring every aspect of herself to work that shes found true meaning in her career.Vargas says that at Citizens, she can feel the difference shes making. And its the compassion of her coworkers that makes it all possible.While doing meaningful work that reinforces who you are sounds like the golden ticket to career happiness, it also takes a lot of effort. Vargas shared the routines that have allowed her to do it how she centers herself every morning, h ow she sets intentions for interactions at work and how she champions the ideas of others. Then, she shared her best advice for women who want to develop careers that truly matter.How long have you been in your current role, and what were you doing previously?Im Executive Vice President, Head of Development at Whats the first thing you do at work every day?Its bedrngnis the traditional I wrote my to-do list. I spend a few minutes thinking through my intentions for the day and how I want to show up.We all have work we have to get done. But before I start work, I like to get myself centered around what might get in the way, what I might struggle with, what might make me happy, what might make me unhappy and how I can be productive. For example, if I know that I am going to have a difficult meeting, I want to have already thought through how Im going to approach it. I might have emotions about the meeting or thoughts that I want to share, but there could be barriers to me being able to do that. Thats why I want to be prepared to overcome them. If I find myself struggling, Ill often use my time in the morning to reach out to my advisor to be a sounding-board. Whats the fruchtwein unique or interesting aspect of your job or company?The work. Were dealing with people and human behavior, elend just knowledge. Were in the business of helping manifest peoples knowledge and skills into activities initiatives that will help our customers, colleagues and communities actually transform their lives.Maybe Im over-indexing a little on our industry, but I do think its an honorable one. Had banking not existed, my father would not have been able to start a small business. I would not have been able to go to college, to get my Masters degree or to buy my first home. Were an immigrant family. Were the example of the American dream, and I still believe theres an opportunity for that. Its why I do what I do I get to help people become their best selves.When I was a little girl, I w anted to be a missionary. The ideas that I had were to change the world in a third-world country. Now that Im a little older and more practical, my goal is that if I can be a blessing to one person every day, then its all worth it. I can make change one person at a time.Whats something you think most people dont know about your company that you think they should?What distinguishes us is the care that our colleagues have for each other and our customers. Its not just a statement on a poster or a slogan in a marketing campaign. Our colleagues care and thats why we all show up the way we do. We work in a fast-paced industry that not only requires smart, competent people, but people with heart. Thats what makes us different empathy and compassion.Whats something youre especially good at at work?I can create something out of nothing. Someone can have an idea and I can operationalize it. Or, I can have the idea and lead other people to bring it to life. I dont need a lot of structure.Wha t are you trying to improve?To have a better holistic view of who I am. I used to have separate selves mother to my children, wife to my husband, caretaker to my parents, employee and friend. I thought that compartmentalizing my different selves would help me manage each relationship better. Now that Im in the second-act of my life, Im working to integrate it all. Every relationship I have represents wealth and happiness to me, and my definition of success is to be a whole person. Its unfortunate its taken me so long to understand that.Whats your favorite mistake?The biggest career mistake Ive made and its the one Ill never forget is that you should never leave a company for money. You need a better reason. I had an emotional reaction to not getting the raise I wanted and chose to leave that company for another one that wasnt great. This taught me to look at the whole picture. If you decide to take a new job, take it for the people you work with.Whats the one career move youve ma de that youre most proud of?Coming to Citizens. I could have stayed where I was I was having a good time and doing good work. But this role has given me the opportunity to bring together everything Ive learned throughout my career and Im learning more than I thought I would. So, Im proud of the risk I took. I didnt know about Citizens and I havent been disappointed. Ive had opportunities to stretch, learn and grow and hope that I can finish out my career here.Whats your 1 piece of advice for women who are looking for jobs right now?There a ton of websites and social media channels to look for work. But my advice is building your network in the industry youre interested in. Go to conference. Attend meet-ups. Insert yourself in industry events. Those are the best ways to get yourself known and understand whats happening in the market relative to the work youre doing. It will allow you to meet people who can help you get in. Thats not something you can do online. You need to put a na me, voice and person to the resume.Whats the most memorable piece of career advice youve ever received?Go to every meeting knowing how you want to show up. What is the brand you want to convey? You have a chance every day to solidify how you want to be known, and what you want to be known for. Choose your words and actions wisely.--Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Fairygodboss.Find a job there today