In Search of Balance

The concept of “balance” is presenting in lots of interesting ways in my life right now. I’ve written several blogs about this, posted on Facebook about it, and it’s appearing in messages in my daily life in various ways. I’m being drawn to examine “balance” from many angles and I look forward to sharing my feelings about this topic with you today and in the future.

Work / Life Balance

When I worked in Corporate America, the mantra was “work / home balance” (or “work-life / home-life balance”). Which in my mind, just meant that the company didn’t want you to be distracted by your life outside of work, when you were AT work.

Although I have an office to meet clients, I now work from home most of the time. Now that I primarily work from home, “work / home (non-work) balance” has taken on new meaning for me. Sometimes I feel as if I’m working all of the time. However, recently, it dawned on me that, once again, it’s really all about balance.

Multiple Business Entities

For me, the “work” activities can be further divided among our various business entities—band, mediumship, and manufacturing. We have to wear different hats within each business and across the different businesses. On a daily basis, in our various businesses, Kent or I might be involved in product development, customer service, sales, marketing, finance, accounting, developing creative (e.g., songwriting, advertising visuals, writing, etc.), information technology, human resources, etc., etc., as well as managing employees and consultants.

Work / Life Integration

Since I am wired so strongly to multi-task, integrating both work and non-work activities into my daily life is the general goal for me. However, it’s also important to focus JUST on work or focus JUST on non-work activities from time to time.

Balance Sometimes Means Singular Focus

The other day, I called my car insurance agent. He answered the call and told me he was out of town to attend his mother’s funeral. I was flabbergasted. While I appreciate his focus on customer service, it made me sad that he wasn’t able to just focus on this important time with family. I don’t want to judge his choices (unfortunately, I can’t help doing so), but I feel it’s acceptable to have singular focus on just one aspect of your life, sometimes. In fact, singular focus makes our family and friends feel special. When we focus all of our attention on the people in front of us, instead of glancing at our smart phone or multi-tasking in some other way, we demonstrate their importance in our lives.

Time for Change

The call with my car insurance agent made me think about balance in my own life and has been the impetus for me to make some adjustments this week that I hope will begin to strengthen my efforts to live a more fully rounded life. I don’t want to judge my choices or the choices of other people. I just want to enjoy life to the fullest. In my mind, happiness comes from living in balance.