Today’s post is about Life Balance. You may think it’s ironic that I’m writing this from day three of my 2-week family vacation. However, I feel it’s the perfect time to address some of the misconceptions about “life balance”. Let me start off by saying that I believe the traditional definition of life balance is a myth and wholly unattainable for those who aren’t monks living on a Tibetan mountainside.
Throughout my personal life and business career, I’ve seen far too many people stressed out, frustrated, and even incapacitated by their inability to achieve this thing called “balance”.
What is life balance in the traditional sense?
In the traditional sense, people believe that “balance” in life is supposed to mean that we have all areas of our life in perfect harmony and that we are blissfully happy about how it all fits together.
I’ve yet to meet anyone who has found this elusive nirvana, let alone find it in my own life. Then again, perhaps it’s because I’m not interested in looking for the traditional definition of balance.
To me, the traditional concept of balance is flawed at the core because it doesn’t take into account what’s important to people, their priorities, and a person’s ever-changing circumstances.
WHY
These are what’s called your “WHY”. Simon Sinek made this word famous, but it’s known by many other names. Stephen Covey calls it “The Big Rocks”, and for Verne Harnish and many others including me, it’s tied up in a combination of “Core Values”, “Purpose”, “Mission”, “Vision”, and “Goals”.
Until we get crystal clear on these things, trying to find balance is a continual guessing game that’s bound to end in failure and frustration.
As a corporate professional and parent of young kids, my WHY may be similar to someone else’s, but my daily reality, priorities, and circumstances may be very different. The same applies to you.
Until you know what drives you, what’s most important to you, and how you will implement your values to accomplish your goals in life, you cannot define or work towards balance in your life.
This doesn’t mean balance is elusive, or can’t be defined. To me, life balance isn’t about equal time and attention to all areas of life. It’s about the APPROPRIATE time in each area based on your current circumstances, goals, and values.
Figure out what’s important to you and what you want to accomplish
Life balance is about making sometimes tough decisions that help you reach your long-term goals. Balance it’s not constant. It is naturally changing throughout the various phases and circumstances of life.
This is where our WHY and life plan are essential to finding the balance that’s right for you at this point in your life.
In no particular order, here are a few common categories of life (yours may be different or more specific)
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Family
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Work
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Health
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Children
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Community
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Money/Finances
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Friends/Extended Family
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Leisure/Hobbies
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Travel
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Learning/Education
What does this mean to you?
While I can’t show you what life balance looks like for you, I can point out some almost universal truths and encourage you to think about your actions across these various areas of life.
How are your actions in each area helping or hindering your current reality, and your future path?
Here are some key steps to help you find the life balance
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Gain Clarity
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Make Strategic decisions
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Focus on What Matters Most
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Block Regular Times for Reflection and Course Correction
Let me know how this topic resonates with you and what you feel this means in your life. Here are a few questions to consider…
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Have you defined the clarity and priority around these areas in your life?
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Are you consistently taking action on the most important areas?
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Are any categories being neglected and at risk of hindering progress in other areas?
We often see this in health, family, or spousal relations for busy corporate professionals who have failed to see the big picture of their drive to succeed in business or finances.
Knowing and following these steps is a critical part of health, happiness, and maximizing your personal and professional performance
As a coach, this is what I help clients find in themselves and implement in their life. The process is extremely valuable and not something people tend to do on their own.
If you are committed to creating a healthier, happier, higher performing life, my team and I would love to help. Just book your FREE Success Coaching Session with FRESH! and we can chat about if we are a good fit to work together.
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