"Work-life balance" is what the majority of us are seemingly striving for... and for many of us, including parents and high-performing professionals operating in relentlessly "always-on" industries, it seems constantly out of reach.
And why is that? Why are we striving for this elusive nirvana, that many of us feel a total failure for not achieving?
Well, personally, I believe the notion of it does not make sense. We should not be striving for something that should not, and does not, really exist.
Why is "work-life balance" a myth?
The notion of work/life balance implies a black and white distinction where “work” ends and “life” begins. This is not the case in reality. Work is a big part of life, not something that is separate from it.
When we step out of the door in the morning or walk into the space in our homes we use as an office we do not stop being a mother, partner or friend. And during our leisure or family time we do not suddenly become someone who does not possess all our professional skills and mindset.
We are still the same people. Professionals whose work is a fundamental part of our life, and how we spend our time, and who carry with them the same character attributes, mindset and mental strength.
So what then? What are we striving for instead?
I think we must banish this notion of work and life as separate entities. They are not.
If we scrap this, and acknowledge work is part of life, we can view our choices around our careers in similar way to how we would choose to spend our leisure time i.e. doing things we enjoy, are passionate about and make our overall life feel full.
Instead of striving for "work-life balance" we should be driving towards find that fulfilling career that is a positive part of your life, not one that stops you living it. A career that allows you to be truly you, 24/7, quenches that thirst for accomplishment and facilitates you mentally and monetarily to do what makes you tick outside working hours (as well as during them).
For me, some of the fundamentals to a fulfilling career are:
· being in a field that makes the most of the power attributes we possess to create great things
· aligns with who we are and what we want to bring to the world around us; and
· energises us and facilitates us in living the other parts of our lives that we value, rather than being all encompassing, and at the expense of other priorities.
The fundamentals to a fulfilling career, are also the fundamentals to my signature coaching programme, "From Surviving To Thriving".
If you are interested in some support in establishing and achieving that fulfilling career, please reach out to me today via email or book a call.