Is Work/Life Balance Really Achievable? ⚖️

Our question of the week (or of a lifetime): Is work/life balance really achievable? 

“Balance isn’t even real,” you might be thinking. Or, “It’s not possible for someone like me… (with my job, my children, my life experiences).” If you feel this way, you aren’t alone. Many people believe that balance is a myth. But I am here to tell you that balance is 100% real, possible, and attainable for everyone, including you.

People who believe balance isn’t real probably haven’t experienced it yet. Or they may have a different interpretation of the word balance, perhaps thinking that it means spending an equal amount of time on the major aspects of life (like work, family, play, exercise, etc.), which is a translation I don’t agree with. So let’s define balance so we’re all on the same page here.

First of all, when speaking about balance, I don’t like to call it “work/life balance,” because I don’t believe work is one part of your existence and your life is the other. There are many, many facets that make up your life, so let’s not separate the two. It’s ALL life, so I call it “life balance.”

Second, Google Dictionary defines balance in two ways:

☝️ An even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.

✌️ A condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.

There are two important parts of this definition I want to highlight. First, when we are creating balance in our life, it’s so we can remain upright and steady. If we are not steady, we are not thriving. When we get unbalanced, we get knocked to our knees by life’s experiences. We want to create and maintain balance so we can remain upright and steady, no matter what life throws at us.

Second, we want to focus on creating correct proportions here, not equal proportions. If you value family and work 80 hours per week and only see your children 4 hours a week, this is likely not a correct proportion for you. However, balance and success look different for everyone. For some, 80 hours of work per week could be balanced with the rest of the things they value in life. Only you can decide what balance and success means to you.

In relation to this definition, when intending to create correct proportions, we understand that those proportions will change every single day, every single week, and every single year or phase of your life. There are days when I need to buckle down and work for 12 hours. There are days that I need to rest more and sleep 10 hours a night instead of my normal 7 to 8 hours. There are weeks when my family gets more of my time and other weeks when it’s my girlfriends or self-care that get more focus.

When balance becomes a constant in our life, we can check in with ourselves about what makes us feel good and what is in alignment with our values and aspirational selves. If we feel off, we assess and make the necessary adjustments rather than operating on autopilot or pushing forward hoping that one day when our external circumstances change, balance will magically appear.

This week, I encourage you to think about your own proportions. What does your life pie look like now and what do you want it to look like? 🥧 Think: 

🍰 Partner
🍰 Children
🍰 Hobbies
🍰 Friends
🍰 Work
🍰 Leisure
🍰 Exercise
🍰 Sleep
🍰 Other??

Remember: It won’t look like everyone else’s. It won’t look like what society says it should look like. It won’t look the same throughout your entire life. But it will be full of the best and most valuable pieces of YOU, right now. And it IS achievable. 

Lots of love,
💜 Your coach,
Sara

P.S. Balance is part of the second pillar of emotional intelligence: Self-Management. Self-management also consists of productivity, self-care, discipline, and resilience. You can’t have high EQ and be an impactful leader without effective self-management and a life balance that works for you.

Do you or your leaders need support on balance, self-management, and emotionally intelligent leadership that retains and engages your valued employees? Contact us to learn how we can support you! ⚖️