The Struggle Continues:

I have come to the conclusion that for me balance will be forever changing based on my needs, the needs of my family, work commitments, school commitments etc. As it is the various commitments seem to be taking over the various goals I have set for myself. I am left with one conclusion that something or a few things will have to suffer in order for me to achieve a full balance of what I believe that balance is.

Is this going to be difficult yes! It will have its ups and downs, I am determined to get close to some sort of balance which will make me happy. As long as I start with my happiness I believe that the rest will be achieved effortlessly. If I am not happy or satisfied then my best self is not what is being put forward, so my needs will not be met and I feel that neglect will occur. “A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who does not play has lost forever the child who lived in him. – Pablo Neruda”

All of this research shows that there are so many of us searching, but is it really out there. Are we looking for something that does not exist? Are we just creating more anxiety and are those people who may have figured what it is all about, what can they teach us. What can we learn from all of this? The struggle continues the beat will march on. Will you march with me and discover what can be done to reach this goal.

Something to Ponder:

Is balance attainable?

Do we require balance?

What happens when balance cannot be achieved?

Ultimately, what is your goal? What can you see moving forward?

What are your thoughts?

“We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly. . . spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.” ~ Susan L. Taylor

(Renee, 2011)

Something to Ponder:

Does this help or give your more anxiety?

Do you feel that this gives more stress to fit everything in your life?

What typically suffers in your life?

Life Balance & Changing Perspectives?

In doing this blog and reading several others relating to the Work life balance topic, I realize that many people have the same problems that I have and we are all just struggling to keep it together. But who are we keeping it together for? Is it society telling us that we need to achieve and be superwoman and neglect everything else? Or is it that if we can’t do all these things, then we are looked upon as not being enough. When will the stigma end? We need to follow the lead of those countries that believe that people need to have time outside of work to have a life (Copenhagen) (Kjerulf, 2014). These countries know that the value of a fully engaged person is the best person to help the organization meet their bottom line and therefore, makes for a happier workplace. In North American, the expectation is the more you work the better your progress. What is the end goal? Do you work yourself to death, and end up not enjoying life as you are too focused on work. In reading this article I fully feel that North America needs to start embracing the fact the people need to have time outside of work and need to create that balance in order to have full life. There will be no work life balance is all things are not taken into consideration. For me, that is a message that has been driven home by my recent losses of family, who were always working to achieve more but not having enough time to spend enjoying life and those around them. I don’t want that to be my legacy, I choose to take a different path.

Something to Ponder:

What is your path going to be?

Read this article – what are your thoughts?

Can you see yourself doing anything differently after reading this article?

Does Balance Really Exist?

What are the main things when you think about balance? Do you have pains when trying to create a balance in your life?
This whole exercise has given me a bit of pause as it has been a very stressful time and with several family tragedies, it has been very hard to focus and write much less think about balance. I find in this instance when reading "How to Live with Intent, by Malika Chopra" (Chopra, 2015), I found that our intentions sometimes give us pause and that we can sometimes feel guilty for the things that we may not be able to do. Sometimes the guilt can overwhelm that you are not having any balance and you are being taken over but other things in your life. If feel that more than ever my balance and equilibrium is off and all these events have shown me that I need to spend more time taking care of some of the things that are important to me, in order to make everything else work. Work will always be there, family and time spent may not be there, so what do you do?

Something to Ponder:

Can someone tell me what the most important thing to achieving balance?

What are your favorite balance activities?

What is Balance?

The dictionary defines balance as "a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. Work–life balance is to prioritize between "work" (career and ambition) and "lifestyle" (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development/meditation). This Infographic helps to look at a different perspective of the Work-Life Balance, which seems to be that lots of people a struggling with. Hence, there are so many blogs dedicated to this subject and lots of infographics on the topic.
Find more education infographics on e-Learning Infographics

Intro to Work Life Balance

This blog is a reflection of what I think of work life balance and what my interpretation is based on the research that I have done and all the various blog posts that I have read.  At some point we are all searching for some type of balance and sometimes it does not get achieved, one thing or another will have to suffer in the quest for balance.

1. I ask the question does balance really exist?
2. How do you feel about the work-life balance in today's 24/7 "anytime, anywhere", digital work place?
3. Do you anticipate negative effects on your health and personal life?

I would like to know your thoughts comments, any ways in which you might go about achieving this balance. I find that getting different perspectives helps with my own thought process and also can let you think of something that you may not have thought about before.