We are taught to always want more, strive for bigger things, and keep climbing the rungs of our professional latter. But, if we step back for a moment and consider how our career affects the other arenas of our lives, we may learn that getting that promotion or higher status isn’t always entirely a good thing. When someone gets a promotion, we may immediately envy her, but perhaps we shouldn’t. By all means, career success is a good thing but what success is means different things to different people. For some, a good work life balance means a successful life. For some, getting to operate in a way that perpetuates their own politics and beliefs is critical. For some, it’s all about the money (though it probably shouldn’t be). A promotion may not trigger these improvements. It all depends on your situation but if you are just going for a promotion because you think you’re supposed to, step back. Here are reasons a promotion isn’t always a good thing.
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Longer hours
When you get promoted at work, that instantly comes with more hours. You don’t get to leave right at five, because you made dinner plans with a friend. There was an understanding, when you took this promotion, that you’d do the work until the work was done—not until the rest of the office leaves. You stay after that.
