Finding Balance in a Rush-Rush World
Are you a person who works through lunch and past the “normal” work hours? While this may be the new work ethic for the dot.coms, it’s been an old work ethic for many top achievers for at least the last five decades. But what price do you pay when you spend most of your waking life at the office?
Yes, you may make top salary, but what are the consequences at home? With your health? With your JQ (Joy Quotient)? With your over-all quality of life?
Many people start to realize as they approach the second half of their lives (usually in their forties to fifties) that there is more to life than work. They’re right. There is more to life… finding that balance between working with dedication, having fun, and feeling connection to partners, families and friends is sometimes tough to do—especially when your whole life has revolved around work.
So how do you get started? First recognize that you can’t have it all – at least not all at once. Next you need to become more aware of those areas where you may be feeling less than fulfilled. Then you can find ways to correct that imbalance.
Get a piece of paper and make four columns entitled: “Realm of Life,” “Today’s Rating,” “Ideas for Positive Change.” (The last column should be the widest because you will be writing your thoughts there.) Then write these eight categories down under the first column: Primary Relationship, Family, Friends/Social Life, Health, Home, Career, Spiritual Life, Creative Outlets/Hobbies.
Then, in the second column, give each realm a satisfaction rating from 0% - 100%. If you are very happy and satisfied with one part of your life, you would give it a high percentage, maybe 90 - 98%. If you feel lacking in another aspect of your life, you would rate it low, such as 25-30%. Do this quickly, giving each area a “gut” response. If you hesitate and believe you “need to think it over,” chances are you are trying to talk yourself into a higher rating than your intuition knows is correct.
When you are done rating each of these areas, ask yourself, “Where do I want to start?” Prioritize the top three realms of life that you want to improve to make your life more balanced. Then, either with friends and/or family or by yourself, brainstorm ideas about how you can change these areas for the better.
For example, if you want to improve your social life, think about all the ways you can either get together more often with current friends or meet new friends. You might write down in the third column things like, “invite Sarah and Joe to dinner;” “email Henry about coming up for the weekend:” “find out about organizations that connect me with one of my passions, and join,” etc..
Last, take the next step with your ideas. You must carry out your plans. You know what they say about good intentions. One quick idea to implement these plans is to put them on your calendar and reward yourself when you have done it.
When you start to realize that your whole life is important and that balancing the various realms can lead to greater enjoyment, you have already taken the first step. Try this method for deciding which areas to improve first and you’ll be on your way to feeling a greater sense of balance in your life.
