The Great Clip stylist secures the classic black sheet over me as I settle in for a haircut, little did I know I was about to get a glimpse at her thoughts on how to achieve balance, even better, I was about to get a surprising lesson about work-life balance. The stylist was likely in her mid to late 40s and she had something to say. She lamented how new stylists demanded work-life balance, but forgot that “work” is part of work-life balance.
Ouch.
Now this is not about all 40-year-olds condemning 20-year-olds. Rather this is to challenge us all to examine the challenge of achieving the right type of work-life balance. Where we honor both the craft and the care. Let’s review a definition of “balance”: a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct propositions. The example sentence in the dictionary is, “Try to keep a balance between work and relaxation.”
In order to achieve balance we need to have different yet equal elements. The mistake most professionals make is that we think of balance in terms of time. We feel like we are in balance when the amount of time at work is roughly equal to time not working. This makes sense on the surface and even checks the box of the dictionary definition. The element of time is equal.
However, would we give a raise to an employee because of the time they spent at work or the outcome of their work? My desire is to live an exciting and meaningful life which includes personal and professional goals. I don’t care about achieving balance in terms of time. That misses the mark. So what gets us closer to the real element to have in the correct proportion? My belief is energy.
I know I am in balance when I bring high energy to both my work and my personal life. I want to feel invigorated to tackle problems that we all face as
leaders and just humans on this planet. If balance is achieved by having energy and stamina then ideally the work we do and the life we live provide us with roughly the same energy. Instead of asking ourselves do I have work-life balance? A better question is how can I ensure that my work and my life bring me the same amount of energy? Now that question helps me feel more balanced!
