And I’m not just talking about money. You put yourself into career debt when you give away more time than you really have to give, more resources than you feel comfortable sharing, and more of your emotional self than is healthy.

One of the gifts of money is that you can very clearly tell when you’ve spent more than you’ve earned, when you’re in debt. Your credit card statement delivers that message.

It’s harder to recognize when we are in career debt.

For just this week, keep an accounting of how you may be putting yourself into career debt.

• Track the time you are spending on a project where you seem to be shouldering more of the load. Is your family starting to wonder who you are?  Or do you feel resentment? This can be a signal that you have put yourself into time debt.  Notice that.
• Being generous and sharing of the things we have is a wonderful way to be. Yet, there is a thing called people-pleasing for a reason. If someone asks you for something – to borrow a person from your team or a copy of that report you spent hours building, first check in with yourself. If you feel your stomach contract, then you may be creating resource debt. Notice that.
• Are you feeling unnecessarily tired? Are you drained and lethargic? These are signs that you have accrued some emotional debt. This can happen whenever there’s a big change in our lives. Our kids are going off to college. We are caring for an elderly parent. Our company is going through a tumultuous acquisition.   It also can happen in small ways that add up. Women have been known to do too much at our own expense, draining our emotional bank accounts.  Notice that.

This week, notice the areas in your life where you are putting yourself in debt and take action to get back in the black.

• Say no. If it’s not a “Hell Yes” then it’s a no!
• Don’t step in to solve someone else’s problem. Empower them to do it for themselves.
• Create space in your day to just be. Journal. Sleep. Dream.

There’s nothing better than being debt-free…in all areas of your life.

Sign up for Your Future Now and get out of debtors prison. Sign me up!