The Elusive Work Life Balancing Act

The elusive work life balancing act. Some people claim it is an urban myth while others swear they live within a black and white box and find it every minute of each day. I have had several debates through the years on balance. What I have found is there is no right or wrong, but a matter of opinion and perspective. I am of the mindset that it does exist but you need to work at it.

So what does balance really mean? One of the definitions of balance is “Harmony, a state in which various parts form a satisfying and harmonious whole”. So very true. We have so many “parts” to our lives. We as a society struggle to not only keep everything balanced, but get everything done. The good news is that you can have balance in your life. You simply need to make choices of where each “part” of your life will be played. Lets take a look at what you need to consider in order to achieve balance:

Understand the life you want to live

It starts here. How do you want live your life? What people do you want to share it with? Where is your harmonious balance? What you yearn for in the short and long term will help you make choices in the hours you invest in each day. If your goal is to be a millionaire and live your life with many riches, it may take you burning the midnight oil for several years to achieve that. Your harmonious balance may be 80 hours a week mastering your business and craft. Or you may want to be home with your family more and work less. Only you can answer this. It’s about getting real with what you want and making choices to support it. The harmonious balance you will work to establish is based on the life you want to live.

Make the right choices and own them

There is no right and wrong in the life you want to live or what balance means to you. However, when you are clear in what balance means to you, there are right and wrong choices. If you have decided that you need more home life to balance out work-life, choosing to network 5 nights a week is not the right choice. Understanding where your balance lies within your life will make even the toughest choices easier. I work very hard in my business but my family time is critical to me. I used to be a night owl staying up until 11:00 or 12:00 every night. In order to get my family time in, I needed to become an early riser. I get a lot of work done before the sun comes up. When my family is home, I am present with them. This is an example of making it work to get what you want. You need to get real with your choices and own them.

Don’t play the victim card. Own your choices. For example, don’t complain if you are missing out on a fun social event because you are working. You chose to work! It is empowering to own your choices especially when you are clear on the life you want to live. That is balance and will keep you on your path.

Sacrifice or choice?

I have often heard that people call balance a “sacrifice; that to have balance, you have to give up all of the things that you want to do. To have it all doesn’t mean you have balance. You cannot do everything at one time; who can or would want to? To have balance is really a choice not a sacrifice. You may not be able to do everything you want all of the time. That is OK. What you need to focus on is filling up every part of your life that is important to you.

When achieving balance, what is the reward from the choices you made?…The life you want to live!

Join me and five experts at The Grow Grid Intensive, November 3-4, 2016 and get the tools you need to succeed in your business. Learn more and register today!