1. How do I achieve work and life balance and my passion?
Sometimes we don't feel balance because we want to be doing something other than
what we're doing. Find the tie-in between what you "need" to do and what
you "want" to do. When I discovered that my passion for helping people
achieve their goals in life perfectly blended with my weight-loss company, I suddenly
felt a lot happier. In the past, any time I could, I got my kids involved in helping
with the business, doing anything I could have them do in order to be with them,
teach them business and keep them included.
Go into the day doing a time study. Look at your list of things to do and determine
how long (honestly) it will take to do these tasks. The first time I did this, I
discovered I had about 36 hours of work planned for one 10-hour day. YIKES!
Find a great priority setting system. You need to know what's truly important so
you can focus your energy in that direction. Think on the things you want rather
than the things you don't want. We become what we think about, including being people
with balanced lives.
Be "healthy selfish." Take time to recharge your battery. Doing the things
you love is crucial to your health! Remember, balance looks different for different
people. To one person it means being off work at night to attend to family needs.
To another it means being able to randomly leave for 4-7 days whenever you want.
To yet another, it means working hours besides the normal 9-5, so you can do what
needs to be done personally throughout the day.
Remember - Quality at work and quantity at home. This mean that professionally,
90% of your time should be spent on activities that make money. Delegate the other
things out. You need to be producing when you're at your business. Personally, don't
miss the moments that matter; be there for the special events. The work will wait,
life won't. Make memories! Walk around the block backwards, eat lunch sitting in
the trunk of the car, have an "ice skating" party on the kitchen floor
using shaving cream. Rituals create tradition. Have bedtime stories and annual holiday
celebrations. My kids awoke to toilet-papered bedrooms each year on their birthdays.
Family traditions keep families close. Children learn what they live, so be in front
of them who you hope they will become. And remember, families that pray together,
and play together, stay together.
2. The balance of family and business seems so difficult. Is that when you started
to build a team?
Absolutely, people love to work with people who value personal time. Value yours
and value theirs.
3. I am 36 years old with two small children. I'm struggling with building my own
personal training business and need help with balance. What advice do you give?
Everything I listed above and a very specific goal setting system. You're a busy
gal. It's important to know where you want to end up so you can you're your plan
is heading you in that direction.
Ok gang, those are my thought on balance. From my own life experience I can tell
you that when these ideas, along with the ones you'll create spurred from these,
life will become more and more centered on the stuff in life that matters. During
our 2-day Connected to More workshops, we'll give time to creating balance, finding
your gifts and achieving your goals.