EMAIL# 257- 10TH MARCH 2024 "It's All About Balance - Part 2"
It’s All About Balance – Part 2.
The elusive “work life balance” is a myth for most of us.
In the three years since I wrote Part 1 of “It’s All About Balance” a lot has changed. Covid is well behind us, inflation and the cost of living is impacting all our lives, and two horrific nonsensical wars are raging in Europe and the Middle East. (Ough, and Trump is still dominating US politics.)
One constant is that everyone is still striving for balance in their lives, but a lot of us are constantly coming up short. I feel that balance is now more important than ever and is harder than ever to achieve.
“Losing your balance is easy. Regaining it is difficult.” Unknown
Our lives are constantly changing and evolving, and balance is never a given. It takes constant work and never-ending compromise.
Balance is a result of making good decisions, saying yes to some things and no to others. The secret is knowing what your priorities are and acting accordingly.
For me (a small business owner), this has always meant prioritizing my family ahead of my business. I know that maintaining this work/life balance has often been to the detriment of business growth and profit, but I am comfortable with these choices.
Life is constantly pitching you curve balls that throw aspects of your life out of balance. An illness or death in the family can change everything in an instant. A recession or losing your job can upend your finances and force a reset of all your goals.
“In the big picture, balance is working hard whilst having fun. Never forget to have fun.” Courtney Dauwalter
Balancing the key aspects of your life can never be left to chance.
In working towards a balanced life, there are six areas that should be front of mind and constantly being tweaked.
- Work-life balance. The confluence of personal ambition and family priorities. There is no magic formula. Just never-ending soul searching, negotiation and compromise.
What works for me, is always being time flexible whilst following a consistent routine. Getting up early and achieving something every day, taking time off work when required and always being home for dinner.
Remember “success is a crowded table” Email #209
- Financial balance. The constant tussle between wants, needs, desires and income. The micro is just as important as the macro and always focus on your long-term financial goals.
My tips = always pay off your credit cards each month, prioritize your superannuation, try to become debt free ASAP, a mortgage is just forced saving. Ultimately financial freedom is achieved through passive income.
- Health balance. Everything in life stems from your mental and physical health. Good health is the key to a balanced life.
Good habits = good health.
No one has perfect health.
Love your disease it’s keeping you healthy.
- Balanced relationships. Good relationships are the key to happiness. Next to time, relationships are the most valuable things we have in life. I recently lost my father and I know realize the true value of that relationship.
Don’t take relationships for granted, all relationships take work, effort in = rewards out.
- Digital balance. Digital devices take up a decent chunk of our time, leaving less time for everything else in life. We all have some level of device addiction. How big is your digital footprint?
I feel lucky that I’m not very interested in social media, so it only takes me about 10 to 25 minutes per day to keep up with family chat lines and Instagram. Email for me is a different storey. Receiving 100+ emails a day is stressful, unbalanced, and unsustainable.
Reducing email + social media time drain is crucial for maintaining balance.
- Balanced expectations. Managing your goals and expectations is a vital part of living a balanced life. Give yourself a break. living up to your own expectations shouldn’t be so difficult.
“Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like.”
Neglecting any of these six areas of balance can lead to conflict, stress, and unhappiness. A balanced life requires a “holistic approach” where all areas of life are harmoniously integrated together.
Enjoyment and having fun is a vital counterbalance to all your hard work and dedication. It makes your long-term commitment possible.
In the end the secret to living a balanced life is modest expectations and acceptance of what you have. You must be okay with the fact that you cannot have it all. You must accept that you cannot be a high achiever in all areas of life.
Strive for balance not perfection.
Thanks for reading,
Stay safe and don’t expect too much.
David
