I recently attended an event for the Instagram poet Cleo Wade, and during the conversation, the group touched upon the topic of financial compensation, and how we can easily get caught up in the day-to-day of our jobs because of the bills we’re required to pay. Yet, at the same time, we’re encouraged to pursue careers where our happiness and interests come first. After all, we do spend the majority of our time at work and with our coworkers (than with family and friends). Who wouldn’t want it to be the best experience possible when you’re there 5 days a week for up to 10 hours daily?

Not many are so lucky to find a job that they love so much they would do it for free because “it doesn’t even feel like work,” and for those who have been fortunate to do so, the financial pay may not be enough to keep their lifestyle afloat and their bills from being past due. But ultimately happiness does vary person-to-person, depending on what each deems to be a happy and successful life (some want to travel the world, some only need 30K a year for essentials, and others can never have enough zero into their bank account).

As the discussion at Cleo’s event continued, particularly on the topic for those who are working but not happy in their current positions, the idea of emotional compensation came up. This was something I had never really thought about it, but in truth, if your job is only paying you financially but not mentally and emotionally, it’s important to make sure you’re being rewarded in those areas of your personal life. I realized that I really do put in a ton effort to emotionally compensate myself … I had just never defined it before.

For myself, my mental and emotional rewards are in the form of spending time with family and friends, reading a good book, catching up on Hulu and Netflix, enjoying a cocktail after work, and watching and listening to motivational videos and podcasts. And I have a wide range of interests, so I’m constantly absorbing as much content as possible to satiate my curiosity.

Being informed about the world around me ultimately makes me more productive and confident. And my friends regularly come to me for career advice, suggestions on the best places and culinary deals in the city, and my coworkers have commented on my wide breadth of knowledge when it comes to pop culture and trends during our brainstorming meetings. And having worked in media for most of my career, I tend to be alerted about stories and headlines as soon as they hit the web, so I kind of feel like The Flash when people mention a story I’ve already read – basically, yeah, that happened HOURS ago, where have you been??

Not only do I love learning new things everyday, but I get a thrill on sharing them with the people in my life as well. Which is why I’m going to start sending out round-ups of interesting stories and topics from across the web, covering multiple categories such as business, lifestyle, food, science, tech, home decor, relationships and more.

I want to use my newsletter to share Empowering, Informative & Motivational Stories that will Expand Your World and Make You More Productive, Confident and Creative.

You can sign up for my KEEN TO BE newsletter at kendranewton.com!