I invite you to change your thinking about work/life balance because I think it is an unattainable myth.
Yep, that is right. Work/Life balance is a Myth.
There I have said it. Yes, I know it is one of the most universal sought after ideals. It is not just in North America but it is listed as one of the most important issues around the world. Everyone is seeking work/life balance.
In this article…
Ah, but does seeking something automatically mean it is attainable?
I say “No!” At least not the way most people are going about work/life balance; as a “to-do” item and another thing that needs to be accomplished. There must be some secret out there to achieving it and if I try a little harder, I will achieve it also. And the game begins trying to find the secret to work/life balance.
There are plenty of people trying to sell you the secret
Everywhere you look there is a magazine article or someone else telling you “The 7 Ways to Achieve Work/Life Balance.” Again another “to do” item and boy, does it feel stressful. Not balanced in the way I want you to feel. What if we looked at balance as a “to be” item and that balance meant feeling a sense of harmony? Now we are getting somewhere that feels a little bit better.
I am not against balance per se but I think there is something much better
I just don’t think that being in balance is good enough. Once you get the seesaw of life “in balance”, something comes along to push you back out of balance. This kind of balance is static. It is a tenuous place to exist and people often are in a place of striving when trying “to balance it all”. So, I invite you to say, “the heck with balance, let’s thrive!” Now thriving in work and life is exciting and allows you experience your work and life in a way that is dynamic.
What exactly does thriving mean?
Thriving is a term we hear a lot about these days. Thriving according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means “To grow vigorously and/or to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.” “Despite of” or “because of circumstances”; isn’t that another way of saying “life”. So thriving allows us to do our best work and experience our best life. For years I have talked about Thriving and I like to add that when you are thriving, you are able to take risks; you are able to make mistakes and have “do-overs” so you don’t need to be perfect.
Thriving allows you to think and grow from a place of abundance and possibility. Sometimes thriving means slowing down and nourishing yourself as a plant often does in winter. Thriving is a way of Being instead of a way of Doing and it allows room for peace and harmony to co-exist with mistakes and messiness. All the while supporting you in moving forward toward your goals. And by first “being” you can be more successful at taking action and “doing”.
How do I start to thrive?
If you are ready to thrive, I invite you to visit me here again as I write about tools, topic and tips to help you keep moving forward, because that will create success.
So, back to our myth that work/life balance is attainable. I hope you have decided that work/balance as another “to-do” item is no longer something you desire. I invite you to go beyond seeking balance to a creating harmony so your work and your life will both truly thrive.
For more than 20 years, Sue has worked with leaders from solopreneurs to executives in Fortune 100 companies.
Sue Guiher says
Jedsada-
Yes, globally, many companies are trying to balance needed resources with the needs of their workforce. And many workers are attempting to be flexible in their work schedules. One of the areas I work with small business owners is how to incorporate more life into their work so they experience balance as dynamic rather than static. It really is taking balance from a “to do” item to a “to be” item. When you are feeling balanced and connected to your work, the # of hours is not the metric used to gauge fulfillment. Rather it is how we feel about our work and contribution, that matters.
I invite others to join in the conversation. What supports you in feeling a sense of balance in your work and life?
Stephanie says
Fantastic! I learned about changing the way I looked at balance the hard way. I would beat myself up for not doing things like the “next” person (why do we women do that?). I am graciously accepting my quirks as ME, and standing in the surety that I am a beautiful human being. I am TRULY UNIQUE. My stress level has gone way down as a result. And I’m accomplishing much more. (Y)
sguiher says
Stephanie-
Congratulations! I think this is an universal issue that we have; looking and comparing ourselves to others. In fact, I just spoke about this yesterday on the Thriving Revolution Community Call (free call I host every week) and we discussed Stepping into Your Greatness: How to Lead with your Strengths. You are TRULY unique and congrats for owning that! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you can join us on the call sometime.
Laurie Varga says
Sue, you had me at “The Heck With Balance”. I’ve come to the same conclusion recently that trying to achieve this mythical balance thing is just more unnecessary stress! At least, that’s how it felt for me.
I really like how clean and clear your website is. Everything is easy to read with plenty of breathing space and no pop-ups to get me to subscribe to your list! (Which never works anyway).
Thanks for your honesty.
Lianne-carla Savage says
Love this post. Completely agree with you. With Work-life balance there always comes the advice that things don’t have to be perfect but attempting to attain work life balance is is itself aiming for perfection.
jerseyfghjki says
An amazing write-up. Thank you so much!
jerseyfghjki says
An amazing content. Thanks a lot!
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