Often times, work comes with a responsibility that sometimes requires sacrificing your personal time, space, sweat, comfort… the list could go on, to achieve your career goals.

However, if all you’re doing is making sacrifices, perhaps you’re paying too high a cost for that success and you could end up with nothing if you give up everything to get ahead.

Jemima Kakizi, a visual artist based in Kigali, says that when it comes to living a fulfilling life, work will never hold your hand when you’re sick or dying but your family and friends will.

As such, spending all your time and energy on the job in order to provide for the family isn’t all there is to life. However, simple indicators like being unhappy or dissatisfied at work is enough proof that you are being a work martyr.

"When you are doing something that you don’t love because you have to survive or when you are paid less than what is worth your effort but you choose to stay regardless of whether you have a choice or not, then you are being a slave of your job,” she says.

Geofrey Beingana, a pharmacist and global health activist based in Kigali says a person can tell they are sacrificing too much when you begin to put your job first, even when it means shelving your own vacations, mental health and career priorities.

"If you are frequently checking or trying work emails past your working hours or attending work related issues in your personal time then you need to check yourself.

One should never sacrifice their sleep, family time, physical exercise, social time, hobbies or their spirituality. Every aspect of life is important for your mental state of mind and physical health which will consequently benefit your work and your family in the long run.

Sacrificing them will work for a short term but affect you negatively in the long run,” he says.

David Kizunzi, co-founder of My Green Home Project also believes that you shouldn’t compromise your integrity and your values.

If there are any values in the company that you do not agree with sometimes it’s okay not to sacrifice your own but also your social life because at the end of the day you need it to help you relax.

Striking a balance

Joyce Kirabo, a counsellor in Kigali says that sometimes affliction in which you cannot stop sacrificing your own best interests for the needs of others at the company is inevitable.

However, as long as this doesn’t become the norm, all is not lost when it comes to finding better balance. It’s never too late, in fact, to take charge of your life and determine that work, while important, doesn’t have to be everything.

"Most people go through a challenge of work-life balance but there is no formula to this balance. It is not a one size fit because every person has their own preferences and needs so it’s a personal decision how you combine your career, so you can strike a balance,” she says.

The key instead, she says, is to come up with creative solutions such as playing their responsibilities in their multiple roles together and at the end of the day look for strategies that can be used to strike this balance like planning, organising, communicating and sometimes delegating so that they can satisfy their work and personal life diligently and professionally.

"If you build a social network of friends and family they can help stand in for you in cases of family duty or work. Making time for yourself is important but as a parent or employee, setting priorities and standards can be smarter when you allocate activities on an early basis. To achieve success you can give up your original goals and substitute them with different but equally rewarding goals.