The concept of work-life balance implies that work is bad and life is good; it suggests that work and life are two different entities that need to be strictly separated and kept at a constant value.
I believe there is a misconception that less work equals more happiness.
Work is seen as a mechanism for financial support and to be difficult, whereas our home environment are believed to inspire joy and happiness and feel easy.
In my experience, work-life balance is more like a rollercoaster than a constant and our challenges are as likely to be in our own homes as in our working environments.
Joy and happiness can be experienced through all our interactions which include work.
Our work needs to be more than just be a job.
Whether we are artists, educators, healthcare professionals, managers, scientists or even entrepreneurs, many of us find genuine joy in our work. Some days, we may feel this is strenuous and tiring while other days, it is productive and creative but in all occupations, team work and making a difference alongside showcasing our skills can enable us to feel pride and success.
There is also work in our home lives, with children, household tasks and wider demands. These may inspire however these are equally hard and exhausting. Embracing the chaotic nature of life is to accept that some periods of your life will be filled with ‘work’, while at other times, our homelife may be more present.
What we all need is time to feed our soul!
Reading may be the space to find joy.
Walking might be our sanctuary.
Spending time with friends and family can feed our soul.
For me making a difference to some-one is rejuvenating and makes me smile.
One of our human flaws, is that when something joyful happens, we feel a flood of positive thoughts and feelings. However when it happens for a second or third time, that same event loses its magic. In a working day, where routine abounds, we need to notice the good and work on how do we keep noticing!!!
Understanding our energy resources is a more useful concept than work-life balance
Rather than identifying a work-life balance maybe we could consider energy as a liquid.
We need to identify our own energy production activities and dedicate time to creating more liquid in our bucket.
We also need to understand when energy draining experiences occur.
Every day we need to have joy and energy creation and this is then able give us resilience to survive the difficult when our energy is used up.
When we are supported and lifted up by our community, we can be inspired.
When we are being pushed down and constrained, we feel apathy and not being ‘good enough’.
What is impossible to achieve is the perfect family with the perfect job, within the perfect company, living in the perfect location, with enough money and resources to create a perfect life.
Through feeding our souls when we can, enjoying the journey that is appearing and finding ways to be resilient when needed, when darker times occur, we will have strategies at hand to move forward through sadness, anxiety and tiredness.
Unlocking Energy with Purpose
By having a sense of purpose, this has been shown to increase our energy levels.
Ikigai is the Japanese art of living and although there is no direct translation, it has been defined as: “essential to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
“Our ikigai is different for all of us, but one thing we have in common is that we are all searching for meaning.”
Here are some websites that look at the concept of Ikigai:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-rules-ikigai-japanese-secrets-long-happy-life-shiv-yadav/
As leaders how can we create these energy generating environments
As an employer or as a leader, our responsibility is to support everyone to be the creator of their own life canvas and provide healthy work and life opportunities which feed the soul as well as demand our energy.
My priorities are:
- Creating purpose which connects us
- Ensuring we take time to enjoy and celebrate our journey
- Celebrating contribution, being grateful and giving thanks
Ikigai is one idea which I found interesting to bring energy creation to transform our workplace culture for the better. By searching and learning together we can all aspire to be part of something that wants to do something better every day. To do this as leaders, we need to find time to feed our own soul and that of those we serve.
Taking a thought for a walk 