I talk to women all over the world each day and almost all of them wonder about how they are doing with the work/life balance act.
We all have work lives and personal lives. Often we work so that we can have can live the lives we want to live outside of work. At the same time, we try to live fulfilling lives so that the time we spend at work isn’t miserable. It is truly a vicious and never-ending cycle. It is also a cycle we cannot stop, no matter how much we would like to.
Work-Life Balance – Learn New Tricks
Over the course of the last 12 months, I have grown my business, created new revenue streams. In my family I had a child start graduate school, watched a husband expand his reach at his place of employment. I was also blessed to have a daughter shine in an international science competition.
My office is in my home. That means the breakfast bacon and eggs are very to the location of my daily accountability video meeting. I create the courses I offer for sale at a desk in my home. This means the baked macaroni and cheese my family loves is close to my workstation.
As a business owner, I work to provide for my family. As a wife and mother, I strive to be a good Christian woman, a Proverbs 31 woman. It is a balancing act. Often at work, I am thinking of things I need to do for my family. Similarly, during time with my family, I often think of work obligations.
Work-life balance is not easy. Nothing I say here will make it easy. In fact, my words may not make it easier. Rest assured however, they are not intended to make it easier. Instead, I want you to understand that work-life balance is hard. There is no one right way to do it. Also, you may get it wrong more often than you get it right.
Be a Better You – Perfect Work-Life Balance Your Own Way
So, when you try to balance work and life and things go horribly wrong, hang in there. It is a balancing act. Just s a seesaw goes up and down, so will your attempts at balance. Some days you will handle things very poorly. The good thing is that each day is a new opportunity to brush yourself off and try again.
This year I tried to do the work-life balance while I traveled around the country doing consulting work. On some of my trips, balance was a breeze. On other trips, I did a miserable job. While spending time with my family, sometimes, I ignored my work and enjoyed my family. Other times, I snuck and did work while the family watched movies.
I learned once again that balancing work and home is hard. Sometimes I succeeded and sometimes I failed. I learned that no matter how the balancing act turned out, I would survive and thrive. My family would thrive. I learned that I can successfully balance work and life and that even when I do not, life goes on.