Can you hold ten balls in the air? Are you a circus juggler?
Of course not. So why should you have to juggle “balance” and 10 different areas of your life at the same time?
Work-life balance doesn’t have to mean all things in your life are operating in equilibrium. I believe that your life stage plays an important role in determining what balance means as it supports you in defining what you want to give your energy to at this point in time.
At what point in your life did you start believing that you had to do it all?
What was the moment that led you to believe that this would illuminate the path to showing up as the woman you want to be and how is that working out for you right now? If the answer is I have nothing left in the tank. Keep reading.
In this article, I am going to burst the myth that you have to juggle all the things to have balance and ask you to reflect on this idea of your own life stage to help you define what balance looks like for you.
Work-life balance definition
When I asked women who were committed to changing their mindset around balance, “what is your definition of work-life balance”, I was amazed at some of the answers I received.
Many didn’t resonate with the word balance and instead preferred “harmony”. They loved the idea of bringing more presence into their day so they could enjoy work and time with their family (or friends).
For these women, balance meant:
These answers were also a little different depending on the life stage of the woman. Whether she was a mother, single, an entrepreneur, working full-time. So remember, your life stage will help you define balance on your terms.
So if you are ready to redefine balance your relationship with balance let’s dispel some of the biggest myths about balance:
Now, the next one aims to change your thinking on your role not as a circus juggler but as a human.
Work-Life Balance Myth #8: You have the skill of a circus juggler and can hold ten life balls in the air at any given time without any of them falling
Myth! Here is the reality.
This is known as the Circus Act Fallacy.
Juggling numerous responsibilities without dropping a ball is an unrealistic and exhausting portrayal of balance.
True equilibrium isn't about managing everything perfectly.
It's about prioritising based on the stage of life you are in, recognising the limitations associated with that life stage.
Surrendering to the fact that life is uncertain and will throw you some curveballs and compassionately accepting that some balls may bounce out of our grasp and that’s ok.
Work-life balance strategy
Based on this new perspective I invite you to reflect and journal on the following question:
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write it down.
Final thoughts
The key points from this article include:
If you’d like to go deeper into dispelling the myths about balance that you can inject more of what makes you feel grounded each day, listen to Episode 105 of The Hacking Happy Podcast.
Or, maybe it is time to show yourself some self-compassion when it comes to chasing that elusive work-life balance.
Download via the linkhere, my FREE Self Compassion tool to help you be kinder to yourself when you feel like you’re falling short on the balance front.
Perhaps consider ditching the word from your vocabulary and instead embrace the power of harmony.
