If you’re the kind of person who has never missed a workout, a family dinner and always works overtime, this blog isn’t for you. Instead, keep doing what you’re doing while the rest of us manage our way around faking what most like to call work-life balance.
As I write this post, my husband is cooking dinner while I answer emails/phone calls and get my entire house spotless for my parent’s visit. And as I’ve grown in my career I can’t help but wonder how work-life balance became so complicated.
When you decided what you were going to be when you grew up did you think about when, where and how you were going to be accessible to your spouse, children, boss, church, parents, community, dog, cat, etc. all at the same time?
Why do some love the challenge of balance while others hate it? Why do some of us seem to get straight A’s while others get sloppy C’s no matter how hard we try?
I don’t have the answers to these questions, but I will share with you some quotes shared by some of our very own WorkMatters leaders and speakers. Would you like to hear them?
Here we go.
“Life is about re-balancing. Whenever you have a heavy season in one area of life, you have to re-balance with stronger investments in the other areas.” Donnie Smith, president and CEO, Tyson Foods
“When in doubt, strive for B’s in every aspect of your life. It means you’ve consistently met expectations in all areas.” Steve Graves, owner, Coaching by Cornerstone, (2015 Leadercast Keynote Speaker)
“Work and life (as well as our faith) are not separate, but are blended.” David Roth, president, WorkMatters (WorkMatters Speaker)
“You can have it all, just not all at once.” Elise Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell Communications Group, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network (2015 FUSE Speaker)
“Work-life balance is like a tightrope. It’s dynamic, changes all the time and has two points (beginning and end) while always moving forward.” Tom Frase, Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church (WorkMatters Speaker)
Still not making sense? Here are 10 questions to help you think through the expectations of balance.
- Do you put real meaning into the time you spend at work and with family?
- Do you have a general understanding of how you manage technology (i.e. checking emails, text messaging, social media, etc.)
- Do you separate work, life and faith as though they’re not a part of who you are?
- How often are you reminded by others about your priorities?
- What centers you when things seem out of control?
- Are you spending more time in one area of your life because you don’t want to spend time in the other areas?
- Are you living a life that is loving and pleasing to God?
- How do you define balance for yourself?
- At the end of your life what do you want as your legacy?
- What kind of spouse, parent, leader, church
