This morning I shared a post on LinkedIn on the topic of Work-Life Balance. It’s a topic that has personally weighed heavily on me in recent weeks. As I continue(d) to reflect on the topic, it dawned on me that my clients, you go-getters and top achievers, might benefit from my epiphany.
What does work-life balance mean?
I wanted a refresher, so I looked up the meaning of work-life balance. Of the early results, this explanation from Better Up was very helpful:
Healthy work-life balance refers to maintaining a harmonious relationship between your work and personal life. It involves consciously managing your time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments while prioritizing self-care and well-being.
What stood out to me was the 2nd sentence. In particular, “… consciously managing your time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments while prioritizing self-care and well-being.”
Am I consciously managing my time and energy to meet both professional and personal commitments while prioritizing self-care and well-being?
Focus can be so heavy on the professional side to the detriment of the personal side. That, my friends, is an imbalance.
Professional Aspirations
Professional aspirations are a very good thing. We are top achievers. Aspiration is the energy for what we do, right?
However, when I looked up the definition of professional aspiration, the early results focused on … career aspirations. And that definition brought me right back to work-life balance!
Here’s how Coursera defined it:
“Career aspirations are long-term hopes and ambitions. People develop them based on their personal experiences, including talents, values, lifestyle, and more.”
OK, so let’s contemplate. What are your personal experiences? What are your values? What is your ideal lifestyle?
I value my family. I want a lifestyle that allows me to support and celebrate my loved ones. See how this brought me back to work-life balance?
Balance
This is my new aspiration! As the breadwinner in my household, I spend a lot of time pursuing business success to ensure my family’s financial needs are met. And as necessary as that is, there is more to life than financial needs.
I recently had a headshot client whose achievements blew me away. She was excelling in her career as a Clinical Research Consultant, which has brought her to 30+ countries. She’s created a foundation advancing her personal interest in helping individuals in this area. All of this while pursuing a Doctorate in the same field. These are her career aspirations before she and her husband decide to bring children into this world, at which point she wants to be home with them. She’s amazing!
There are many ways to balance. What’s important is that we each find it.