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Small Business Articles from Make-it-Fly®
 Live
the Life You Love – A Balancing Act
By Victoria Munro
Printable version
Do you ever
feel that life is a balancing act of returning
phone calls, emails, client appointments and dealing
with the daily challenges of running your business,
then juggling all that with time for family and friends?
If so, you’re not alone!
Most entrepreneurs and professionals start businesses
because of values they hold, work they enjoy and are
good at, and a desire to take more control of their
lives. The new entrepreneur must wear the many hats
of CEO, receptionist, sales manager, marketing director
and janitor all rolled into one, and it’s easy
to get out of balance by yielding to the pressure of
business. The once-cherished values are often forced
to take a back seat in the busy, demanding world of
the small business owner.
If you feel your life is unbalanced,
then it probably is. Take the following Life
Balance Quiz and check to see if you need to make some
adjustments.
You Are Probably Out of Balance
if You’re too Busy to:
 |
Get
the quantity and quality of sleep you need |
|
Take
time for regular exercise |
|
Watch
your diet and eat the right stuff |
|
Enjoy
regular, quality time with your family |
|
Maintain
a balanced social life |
|
Continue
your own personal and professional education: studying,
reading and learning to further develop your skills |
|
Spend
time in your spiritual area |
|
Take
time to nurture yourself, relax and just have fun!
|
Keep in mind that the sacrifices you make as a business
owner often involve your family too. If you have children,
then their physical and emotional needs must still be
met.
The Potential Dangers of Continuing
Out of Balance
| 1. |
Experience
personal burnout and sabotage everything you’ve
worked hard to build |
| 2. |
Damage
the relationships that are important to you, hurting
those you love most |
| 3. |
Lose
sight of your values and what is really important
to you |
| 4. |
Wreck
your health |
When I received a phone call from Dave recently, telling
me that he had been in an accident and his car was totaled,
the office crises I was dealing with suddenly became
unimportant. Thankfully Dave was unhurt, but this was
a reminder to us of the brevity of life and a reminder
to recognize every day as a precious gift to be grateful
for, to be savored and spent wisely. When a catastrophe
occurs in our life or in our family, we quickly acquire
a different perspective.
The Benefits of a Balanced Life
In addition to physical and emotional health, and the
enjoyment of others – especially friends and family
– a balanced life results in peace of mind and
freedom from guilt caused by not being able to cope
with all you’ve committed to do.
Tips to Get Back in Balance
|
Identify
your core values and let them guide you |
|
Understand
when your ‘prime time’ is and maximize
it |
|
Recognize
and accept your limitations, and give yourself permission
to put some projects on hold for now in order to
give attention to what is more important |
|
Worry
less about what others think and tell us we should
or shouldn't be doing |
|
Learn
to say “no” |
|
Relax!
Take ‘play breaks’ during the day. After
a few moments of play, you’ll have renewed
energy and concentration |
|
Learn
to switch off at the end of your workday |
|
Devote
one day a week to family or relaxing and nurturing
yourself |
|
Commit
to regular life balance check-ups, possibly using
the Life Balance Wheel |
The Life Balance Check Wheel
For your life now, rate each of the areas below from
1 - 10.
0 = Need help here; 10 = Doing great in this area!
| Physical
|
____ |
| Rest |
____ |
| Spiritual |
____ |
| Mental/Intellectual |
____ |
| Business/Career |
____ |
| Financial |
____ |
| Family |
____ |
| Social |
____ |
Place a dot on each spoke of the wheel in the illustration
below, indicating where you currently see yourself in
each area. Connect the dots and check your life balance.
Plan to make the necessary adjustments in areas where
you need to change.
Running a successful, growing business
and maintaining a balanced life is an ongoing challenge.
Take time for regular check-ups in this area and readjust
where necessary in order to be successful over the long
haul. Enjoy the journey, and
you’ll be able to look back with satisfaction
on a well-balanced life.
(727 words)
© 2005-2007 Victoria Munro.
Click here
for printable version.
About the Author: Victoria Munro is
co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly®
LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for
small-business owners through creatively designed programs
and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different
businesses. To receive FREE business success articles
with tips to help you with your business, sign up for
their award-winning ezine, “In-Flight Refueling,”
at: www.Make-it-Fly.com,
and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get
More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics
& Tips.
You’re welcome to “reprint”
this article in your ezine, print publication
or on your website, as long as it remains complete and
unaltered (including the “about the author”
info at the end). Please send a copy of your reprint
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