Balance…
That simple and small word can give your life peace and serenity or cause you to feel like you are overwhelmed and chaotic. One small shift or life change and within minutes the stability that you had could be gone.
Definition Of Balance
Merriam & Webster defines balance in the verb form as “to bring into harmony and proportion.”
The definition makes balance sound so peaceful and easy, but as many of us know it is not easy to obtain nor to hold.
Balancing your business roles and your family life is not always simple.
We often hear “I am so overwhelmed…. I can’t figure out how to excel at my business and still spend time with my family. To be honest, I joined to spend time with my family and I hardly see them now.”
In everything we do, no matter what, there will always be some sort of sacrifice. Taking a day off work to stay home with a sick child, buying a new car, or having money in savings.
There are sacrifices in everything we do. Are you willing to sacrifice some short-term family time for a year or two to have the possibility of the long term goals of financial freedom or retirement which will give you that family time later? Short-term sacrifices equal long-term rewards: a theory that is plain and simple but emotionally difficult at times.
Life And Business Balance
Balance in your business and life really depends on your goals. Are your goals defined?
What are the action plans you need to achieve those goals?
Once you realize your action plan – are you okay with the sacrifices you may need to make to achieve the action plan? If the answer is no, then you may need to change the goals. If the answer is yes, then your balance is achieved.
An example:
DSWA had a member call a few months ago; she was upset that she was not making the money she thought she should be making.
When we asked her what she was currently doing with her party plan business, she stated she was doing two to three parties a month. We then asked her how much money she was hoping she would make. When we calculated it out using her average party figure, we figured she would need to do nine to ten parties a month.
There was then a silence. A realization of sorts and the comment she made was: “I can’t do that many; I have family obligations.”
Work Smarter Not Harder = Balance!
She realized at that moment that her goals were outside of what she was willing to sacrifice.
We brainstormed and came up with a number of parties that would work for her schedule and family obligations and a plan to get her party average higher so that she could work smarter, not harder.
She did not need to sacrifice all of her family obligations – that would have left her unbalanced, but she was willing to sacrifice some time with her family and felt better knowing what the outcome and goals would be if she did.
She is now in balance with her business and her family.
Balance is a constant and ever-changing ideal. It will depend on your goals, your action plan and what you need to sacrifice to achieve it.
There may be times that your personal obligations outweigh your business and vice versa but if you are okay with the outcomes that will be achieved by that shift in balance – then balance comes naturally allowing you the peace and serenity that we all want to have in our lives.