‘Mind Body Spirit’ and ‘Work Life Balance’ – these slogans have been popping up all over the place in the last ten years, and more frequently in recent years. This is what we are told to find, the perfect balance to make one’s life happy and satisfying. And while there are so many ‘experts’ in these fields now, and so many companies who say they are supportive of us finding this flexibility, how does one really find the balance in a world – let’s face it – where corporations and greed rule supreme?
My life has been (and still is) a winding path, like I imagine everyone’s is. There have been joys and triumphs, pain and suffering, love and heartbreak. All of these experiences have taken me on my own search to find that balance, to find peace and contentment. In my life there has been religion, spirituality, world travel, daily physical exercise, rebellion, hard work, meditation, all out partying, total laziness…and a lot of things in between.
Did I find this balance?
At times, yes I did. At other times, definitely not. And if I am going to be honest with you, I wasn’t always searching for this balance and sometimes I simply didn’t care, and the times I did find it were mostly the times I wasn’t searching for it!
Now I am a small business owner, and I know that I want my business to be successful and long-lasting, so ‘Mind Body Spirit’ and ‘Work Life Balance’ are things which I have been contemplating.
Is there are a key to a secret door to obtain these things?
I am not sure there is, and if there is a key, it is definitely not the same key for all of us.
For me it was a lot of hard work to find Work Life Balance. I worked full-time during the day in the city and at night and on weekends I worked on starting my home business and building a client base. It was a time of not much sleep and a lot of stress. I found it difficult to take the leap to leave my full-time job and the security of that monthly pay cheque, but I also knew at some point I had to close my eyes and jump, and trust in myself and what I was trying to achieve. With a bit of courage in my belly and moral support from my husband, I could thankfully take that leap and haven’t looked back!
Then on the other side of scale, there was Mind Body Spirit. I have realised that for me it is important to keep striving to do better and to keep learning new skills – to stimulate my mind. I have also realised the importance of physical exercise as my job requires me to sit at a desk for many hours. And spirituality, or the spiritual path, has been a big part of my life over the last 10 years which has brought a sense of peace to my life which was never there before.
So, where has all this lead me? What have I learnt?
The list of discoveries is endless, but one thing that stands out is that it is really hard to reach your goal alone – not impossible but more difficult than it needs to be. And there is so much strength, not weakness, in asking for help. So find the area(s) where you need a helping hand, whether it is with a fitness or business coach, a spiritual or religious adviser, a virtual assistant or extra staff, or even simply asking your partner to help with more chores around the house so you have extra time to focus on getting what you want – and hold up your hand proudly and ask for what you need to make your life better for you and those around you.
And don’t forget to enjoy the ride along the way!!