I have been asked so many times how I balance work and life that I have lost count. I am a wife , mother, sister, daughter and executive among other things and I had to learn how to balance my life. It took becoming ill and being told by my doctor “you are not going home” to really make me figure it out.
I balance life by having priorities. These are as follows:
- God
- Myself
- My husband
- My children
- Family
- Friends
- Work
If you don’t set priorities then life can spirals out of control. My list might not be yours, but you have to know what is important or you might end up on your back on a hospital bed, looking towards the ceiling wondering what happened. Believe me it’s not a pretty picture.
I remember years ago someone I worked with sent me a message which was a synopsis of a speech given by a former CEO of Coca-Cola, Brian Dyson.
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four Balls – Family, Health, Friends and Spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.
Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give the required time to your family, friends & have proper rest.
Value has a value only if it’s value is valued.
When I called to thank her, she said “remember you can get another job, but not another family.” That statement hit me like a brick and stuck with me. I would say it to people when I thought it necessary. I realized I didn’t want to get to the stage where my husband left, my kids grew up without me and family and friends were no longer there. That was the reality of a good friend. She sat me down one day and made me understand that it had happened to her and she was making sure it would never happen to me. She said she loved me too much to see me go down that path. As my mother would say “good friend better than pocket money.” So I got my priorities in order. It’s very likely that you might have different priorities or none what so ever and just decided to go with the flow. At the end of the day you have to decide what is important and which balls you are willing to drop if any at all.
How do you balance life? Let me know. Do you have priorities or just take life as it comes?
See you next Wednesday, at 8:00 pm. Comment, subscribe and share.
I like this one i can relate. Its a constant moving target for me #lifeBalance
I know, easier said than done.
Good morning.
Good job,you should look toward the news papers..
Will think about it. 🙏🏽
Andrea… well said and I agree set the priorities for your life balance based on what is REALLY important to you. Alot of times women think putting themselves high up on that list is selfish.. but if you don’t you’re robbing your family. As they wouldn’t have access to the BEST you.
Amen my sister. I had to learn the hard way. Won’t happen again.
I go sick years ago and also realised work will go on. But you lose a lot of friends and family caused of where your attention is focused chasing the dream, cheque or whatever drives you. Live and learn
You live and you learn as you said. The important thing is to learn.
Great lesson. It’s good to set priorities but must be flexible depending on the circumstances facing you.
True. What I have found is when family comes first everything else works better.
Well said, u couldn’t have said it any better Andrea.
👍🏽
Bwoy if this was a song…maybe it would stick for some of us more. Trying…working progress
Practice becomes perfect.
This is so very true. I learnt that the hard way sometime ago; but thankfully, came to that conclusion seizing what time and opportunities I have left, to address. Work will ALWAYS be there for someone-else to function in your space should something [God forbid], occurs that prohibits you from continuing. If that happens, the default question will be…” What next…or How….” Each aspect of everyone’s’ lives must be given the attention it deserves. In everything, there MUST BE a balance…
So true. Balance is important
Andrea, you are correct in that it is so important to find balance..I see it as an ongoing process that requires practice..if we view not as a final goal, but as an ongoing practice..why? Life happens and in addition to the many roles we all play, we also have issues to balance- social & political consciousness, religious beliefs, leisure….yes, we need to prioritize, and those priorities can change – to stay on course, we need to re-examine our priorities regularly, set realistic goals, celebrate our successes but also failures..life- quite the balancing act- definitely a work in progress:)))
Work in progress with no final destination