Is work-life balance a myth or a worthy goal?
Is it actually possible?
Is it even worth pursuing?
I recently read a quote by Adam Grant:
“Work-life balance sets the bar too low. No one grows up dreaming of a job that doesn’t interfere with their life. We hope to spend our waking hours doing work that enriches our lives. A toxic job drains you. A decent job sustains you. A healthy job invigorates you.”
Take a quick and honest inventory of your perspective:
How do you strive for work-life balance?
How do you define what that looks like?
How do you measure that?
Have you been able to achieve it?
Does your job drain you? Merely sustain you? Or actually INVIGORATE you?
Spend some time thinking about these questions; don’t just gloss over this. Whether it’s five minutes or a few days, you are worth taking the time to reflect - maybe journal or talk to someone that knows you well and can process with you.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word balance, it brings up the idea of maintenance, not rocking the boat, playing it safe; nothing very motivating.
However, I know there are definitely times when balance is necessary for success. I love stand up paddleboarding. If I am not able to balance on the board, I won’t get very far, and I definitely won’t enjoy it. But if I stop at being able to balance, I won’t improve or excel.
So what if we change the goal to “whole life excellence”? What if we chased after excellence at work? At home? In our relationships? In our well-being: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?
I think too often when it comes to work and life, we focus so much on not getting out of balance that we miss the life-giving energy that comes from pursuing excellence.
At this point I hope you’re thinking, “This all makes sense, but how do I pursue whole life excellence?”
I believe (and statistics indicate this to be true) that we have to:
Focus on our natural talents and areas of strength
Invest in what makes you unique, not what might balance you out.
In my experience working with people, as well as in my own life, I find that the pursuit of excellence (not perfection) - being the best of who we were designed to be and bringing that to every situation - is the only way to truly thrive. It’s been shown that when people work in their strengths, even as little as 20% each day (but it must be daily), they are more successful, happier, and healthier - at work and at home.
Do you know what your strengths are?
Do you have a solid understanding of the things you are excellent at that also bring you energy?
How often do you get to “play to your strengths”? (Yes…more journaling!)
If you’re not sure or you know that you’re ready to take the next step, let me encourage you - actually, let me challenge you - to find out how amazing you really are. I would love to share my favorite resource, CoreClarity, with you. It’s a framework that uses the results of the CliftonStrengths assessment to help you understand who you are at your best, how to develop those natural talents into strengths, how to appreciate the talents of those around you, and ultimately how to LIVE!
I LOVE helping people discover and develop their strengths; being able to “play to their strengths” in every area of life. Let’s set up a time to chat and explore how you can “be who you ARE, not who you’re not”!
Click here to connect!