I speak frequently on the topic of "Finding Balance in
the Fast Lane." Having come from the world of Silicon
Valley marketing, I know what it means to be living and
working in the fast lane and how elusive the idea of
work/life balance can seem. I know first hand what it
feels like to long for a more peaceful life.
Now, six years into my current career as a life and
career coach, I've discovered something surprising.
There really is no escaping the fast lane! We just jump
from the fast lane of one highway onto the fast lane of
another. Whether we choose to stay at home with the
kids, start our own business, make a career of
volunteer work, or climb the corporate ladder, life
keeps us busy.
No matter what choice we make, there is no shortage
of obligation or demand for our time and energy.
So, is there such thing as "balance in the fast lane?"
Do you believe it's possible to achieve a pleasing
work/life balance? I often get blasted with a chorus
of "No's" when I pose that question to my audiences.
There is a great quote from Henry Ford: "If you think
you can, or if you think you can't, you’re right." The first
step on the road to living a balanced life is to open
your mind to the possibility that balance is achievable!
The second step is to take a look at how we define
balance. Balance is not a steady state. We set
ourselves up for great disappointment when we
imagine a balanced life as being something we
experience perfectly in every moment. I'll agree that
this is not possible, nor is it even really all that
desirable.
I like the analogy of playing on a seesaw. When we
were children, it was fun to see if we could achieve a
perfect balance and suspend ourselves in mid-air
without moving up or down. And we celebrated when
we did it. But, how long did we want to stay in that
static state? Not very long because it was really quite
boring!
The fun of playing on a seesaw was in experiencing
the motion and feeling the exhilaration of flying high as
we reached the top. Then we would enjoy just as
much the sensation of gliding all the way to the
bottom. Now, maybe you had a playmate that thought
it was funny to leave you stranded at the top and that
wasn't so fun!
I think it's helpful to think of Work and Life as separate
sides of a seesaw. Inevitably there will be times when
100% of our time and attention will be given to work
priorities and our seesaw of life will be temporarily
stuck in that extreme off balance position. And there
are also times when life events force 100% of our
attention back to our personal life.
It's when our Work/Life seesaw gets stuck in one
position or the other that we feel so horribly out of
balance. So if you can begin to think of balance as a
fluid, ever-changing state of being where you only
occasionally visit that perfect sweet spot, then you can
be more conscious about flowing between your work
and life priorities by creating boundaries and making
choices that support your desires.
The quest for balance is not a trivial pursuit. It's about
achieving a quality of life that feeds your heart, mind
and spirit and keeps you healthy, vibrant and
energetic. Decide what a pleasing balance would look
like and feel like when you have it and make a
commitment to start taking small steps toward
making it happen. Focus and intention combined with
a commitment to action will shift your quality of life very
quickly. We all deserve to have a life that works!
My book, Give Wings to Your Dreams: Reawaken Your
Joy and Passion for Life and its accompanying
workbook will guide you through a powerful Seven
Stepping Stone process to achieve a rich and robust
quality of life with a pleasing work/life balance.
