But is that realistic? Simply in terms of time, I know I am not balanced. An average workday is 10 hours long. Taking into account heavy traffic on the freeways, it takes me another one hour each way to commute. So there’s 12 hours gone. I sleep for about 6 hours, so that’s 18 hours of my day. That leaves me with 6 hours to do the following: Be a spouse, be a friend, be involved in my community, have time for my hobbies and be a parent.
Balanced? I think not.
On the other hand, I’ve heard people say: “If you love what you do, you don’t need to balance your life.” I think that’s a fair comment. If you love what you do, work doesn’t feel like work. In fact, your work is a reflection of your personal calling. And you express it not only from 9 to 5, but in your daily interactions with the people around you.
I recently attended a talk by Dr. Ivan Misner, author and founder of the BNI business networking organization. Obviously a busy man, at the event Dr. Misner shared his concept of “work-life harmony,” not balance. Instead of trying to be balanced, he said, people should try to harmonize both sides so that they strengthen each other. He says it’s about accepting that some parts of life may take priority at different times. It’s about accepting moments of work-life imbalance as something interesting and positive. Harmony comes with understanding that someday in the future, priorities may shift.
I like Dr. Misner’s explanation of “work-life harmony.” It takes the pressure off trying to be balanced, which is often unrealistic. It suggests a peaceful coexistence between work and life, allowing each to become a part of the other. It peacefully embraces the variety of activities, rather than fighting and resisting it.
Here are nine questions you can ask yourself to help you begin achieving work-life harmony:
1. Why do I want to create work-life harmony? Why is that important to me?
2. When I am already in harmony, what will I see, hear, or feel? Describe your ideal harmonious week.
3. What existing beliefs do I have about the relationship between work and life that may weaken the harmony?
4. What new beliefs must I choose in order to strengthen my ability to build a harmonious relationship between life and work?
5. What old habits or behaviors make me feel disharmonious?
6. What new behaviors can I choose to make me feel more harmonious?
7. When do I want to start being in harmony?
8. How will I remind myself when I am out of harmony? And how will I get back on track?
9. Who will be my coach, who will keep me motivated and accountable for this change? How will I ask him or her to help me?
Enjoy the application of these ideas and have a harmonious week.
Coach Cynthia is a thought leader who shares new and different ways of thinking to inspire people to go beyond conventional ideas. She also owns an ActionCOACH Business Coaching franchise that guides business owners to achieve goals faster and increase their quality of life. For more information on business coaching, go to: www.actioncoachsouthjakarta.com
On the other hand, I’ve heard people say: “If you love what you do, you don’t need to balance your life.” I think that’s a fair comment. If you love what you do, work doesn’t feel like work. In fact, your work is a reflection of your personal calling. And you express it not only from 9 to 5, but in your daily interactions with the people around you.
I recently attended a talk by Dr. Ivan Misner, author and founder of the BNI business networking organization. Obviously a busy man, at the event Dr. Misner shared his concept of “work-life harmony,” not balance. Instead of trying to be balanced, he said, people should try to harmonize both sides so that they strengthen each other. He says it’s about accepting that some parts of life may take priority at different times. It’s about accepting moments of work-life imbalance as something interesting and positive. Harmony comes with understanding that someday in the future, priorities may shift.
I like Dr. Misner’s explanation of “work-life harmony.” It takes the pressure off trying to be balanced, which is often unrealistic. It suggests a peaceful coexistence between work and life, allowing each to become a part of the other. It peacefully embraces the variety of activities, rather than fighting and resisting it.
Here are nine questions you can ask yourself to help you begin achieving work-life harmony:
1. Why do I want to create work-life harmony? Why is that important to me?
2. When I am already in harmony, what will I see, hear, or feel? Describe your ideal harmonious week.
3. What existing beliefs do I have about the relationship between work and life that may weaken the harmony?
4. What new beliefs must I choose in order to strengthen my ability to build a harmonious relationship between life and work?
5. What old habits or behaviors make me feel disharmonious?
6. What new behaviors can I choose to make me feel more harmonious?
7. When do I want to start being in harmony?
8. How will I remind myself when I am out of harmony? And how will I get back on track?
9. Who will be my coach, who will keep me motivated and accountable for this change? How will I ask him or her to help me?
Enjoy the application of these ideas and have a harmonious week.
Coach Cynthia is a thought leader who shares new and different ways of thinking to inspire people to go beyond conventional ideas. She also owns an ActionCOACH Business Coaching franchise that guides business owners to achieve goals faster and increase their quality of life. For more information on business coaching, go to: www.actioncoachsouthjakarta.com
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