How do you create the work / life balance?
True answer – you don’t. Whoever made up that term had a sense of humor, honestly. The word balance is trippy and can play with our minds.
I say just dance! Or juggle with a”I” ;)
In all seriousness, I heard Jay Shetty say in one of his videos, that you can juggle the balls, and if one has to fall, let it be the rubber ball, not the glass balls. Family and relationships are glass. Work is rubber. It will always bounce back.
I’ve always understood this but when I heard it in this way, it solidified it!
The people in our lives deserve us. As vibrant and present as possible. Not “ the answering each email as they come” version.
As much as my heart wants to be in so many good things like school functions and distant family reunions, I’m very focused. I think and map out my priorities clearly and when they blur I go over them. They are: Family and painting. Of course other things get sprinkled into that, but those are the main pillars. There are only 24 hours in a day and I need to make sure that these two areas are getting “watered” every day.
So, I’m very conscious of my decisions, knowing that what I focus my energy on will have a flip side.
I’m home with my kids every day at 3:00. I don’t work past then. I resume working at 8 and work till the wee hours of the night if I need to. (I’m really not a night person, but I became a night owl) I prep their clothing and lunch before I go to bed, so that if I have a late morning, things are running smoothly.
There are also things that are automated in my business making it easier for me to focus on what I need to focus on. For example: it was hard on my team to package the large canvases and so we them those out to get packaged. We also have a special label printer which took a load off.
My hands are needed for painting so if there’s a way with technology to automate things, I’m in and always looking out for new ways to do so.
And then, the best is when your work is so part of your life that it doesn’t feel like work or a juggle. I love what I do, and my family knows that and feel connected to it as well. My husband wants me to paint. He loves it too. And so, if it’s a Sunday afternoon and I juts have to get the idea out and run to do so, he gets it and pitches in. The kids love seeing the works and guessing what it is, telling me their thoughts and opinions. Sometimes a child will come into the room when I’m painting and I’ll set him up with some brushes and a canvas near me. It’s very much apart of their lives.
It’s great for them to see work ethic and passion and to know that work is apart of life and it can be really really great.
With all that being said – you heard my point of view. Now, ask them!
True answer – you don’t. Whoever made up that term had a sense of humor, honestly. The word balance is trippy and can play with our minds.
I say just dance! Or juggle with a”I” ;)
In all seriousness, I heard Jay Shetty say in one of his videos, that you can juggle the balls, and if one has to fall, let it be the rubber ball, not the glass balls. Family and relationships are glass. Work is rubber. It will always bounce back.
I’ve always understood this but when I heard it in this way, it solidified it!
The people in our lives deserve us. As vibrant and present as possible. Not “ the answering each email as they come” version.
As much as my heart wants to be in so many good things like school functions and distant family reunions, I’m very focused. I think and map out my priorities clearly and when they blur I go over them. They are: Family and painting. Of course other things get sprinkled into that, but those are the main pillars. There are only 24 hours in a day and I need to make sure that these two areas are getting “watered” every day.
So, I’m very conscious of my decisions, knowing that what I focus my energy on will have a flip side.
I’m home with my kids every day at 3:00. I don’t work past then. I resume working at 8 and work till the wee hours of the night if I need to. (I’m really not a night person, but I became a night owl) I prep their clothing and lunch before I go to bed, so that if I have a late morning, things are running smoothly.
There are also things that are automated in my business making it easier for me to focus on what I need to focus on. For example: it was hard on my team to package the large canvases and so we them those out to get packaged. We also have a special label printer which took a load off.
My hands are needed for painting so if there’s a way with technology to automate things, I’m in and always looking out for new ways to do so.
And then, the best is when your work is so part of your life that it doesn’t feel like work or a juggle. I love what I do, and my family knows that and feel connected to it as well. My husband wants me to paint. He loves it too. And so, if it’s a Sunday afternoon and I juts have to get the idea out and run to do so, he gets it and pitches in. The kids love seeing the works and guessing what it is, telling me their thoughts and opinions. Sometimes a child will come into the room when I’m painting and I’ll set him up with some brushes and a canvas near me. It’s very much apart of their lives.
It’s great for them to see work ethic and passion and to know that work is apart of life and it can be really really great.
With all that being said – you heard my point of view. Now, ask them!
Tags:
Related Articles
