This is a safe space. Straight talking is what it’s all about. Here’s a secret…no one really knows what they’re doing. Nobody actually knows what balance is. We’re all just winging it, doing what we believe to be right, with our best intentions and well laid out plans at hand.
“Work-life balance” has become quite the buzz word of late, conjuring up imagery of each of us having an invisible scale above our heads with all the work-ish things on the one side and all the life-ish things on the other side, both equal in weight or size or some other measurement that makes you feel comfortable, ensuring a smooth cruise along the road to fulfillment. Is it possible, or even advisable, to compartmentalise that which is so very important to you along such rigid definitive lines?
I think not. In every corner of the world someone will be shamed for being too heavy on either side.
This is based on my personal experiences living life and not on any formal social or scientific research, other than me asking a lot of strangers a lot of questions that some may say border on prying..but then again, nudging others in the direction of deeper self-discovery is never a bad thing.
All this talk of balance makes me feel unbalanced. In the quest to build projects that matter we get caught up in the creation of bringing a vision to life. Other important bits get left by the wayside and sleep, healthy and substantial eating and exercise are often the first to go. You know these things are good for you and you actually enjoy climbing mountains, eating a grilled piece of fish and getting those precious 8 hours a night. But the high of the entrepreneurial chase and the thrill of levelling up in your professional journey is most definitely worth the sacrifice.
Let’s be honest, if you define yourself as a Future Female, a revolutionary, an innovator, part of that 0.1% that make great things happen, you must’ve at least considered the very likely possibility that there will come a point (or numerous points) in time where you will be completely and utterly overwhelmed, out of your depth and just about ready to say “fuck it, I’m done, somebody else can save the world, my big girl panties are too big today.” One might say you feel unbalanced.
Like most things, if you switch it off and back on again, it will carry on working like it should. That goes for your heart, mind, soul and willpower reserves as well. Just take a nap. Perhaps numerous naps, under a coconut tree, on a tropical island.
Think back to your pre-school days where balancing on one leg was praised, even if you shifted your weight all over the place in the attempt not to hit the pavement face first. It took all your concentration and moves that may be mistaken for one-legged dancing, but you did it. That is focused balance. The idea that balance in life means that you have every aspect from leisure to health to work exactly organized, with scheduled impulsive time in the calendar, is somewhat unattainable.
Keep it simple – do more of the things that make you feel like you. The work, the sleep, the moving and the eating. Do it with people you like and can learn from. Do a lot of it outside.
Living a well-rounded life where you manage to experience and explore the parts of yourself and your world that you enjoy most is living. My wish for myself, and for you, is that your life and your work intertwine in such a way that the two can bring you joy as a whole. An integration of what is most precious to you – your people, your talent, your passion, your interests, your legacy.