Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Seeking Harmony

A few phrases and words seem to swirl around my colleagues and friends lately --> finding balance, juggling career & family, avoiding burn out. Jen Cardella recently wrote an article on SICFIT.COM on the possibility of having to choose between her passion and her brother's wedding. And it got me thinking:

Is it possible to be driven, ambitious, hard workers, raise a family, be good husbands and wives, good mothers & fathers, good friends & confidants....while finding time for yourself....all at the same time?

Living in a fast paced world where most of us find it difficult to put down our iphones, turn off the computer, and recall trivial definitions without the help of google.....seeking balance has become something we now have to strive for. Spending quality time with family and friends, without muli-tasking or heeding the sound of your text alert, now takes more effort than ever before.

Finding balance is something that I too struggle with. I love to be challenged and have a very hard time stepping away from the things that I am passionate about - creating, solving, thinking up new ideas, making visions reality - I can work late into the night and on the weekends....because I'm driven and because it's fun. But I realize that I have to find a point to shut it off (completley) and focus on my relationship.

When you decide to shut it off and focus, not only will your relationships improve but the quality of your work will also improve. You will be able to give 100% of yourself @ home and @ work vs. splitting your time and focus - doing a half ass job at work and a half ass job at home.

Bottom line - put the phone down, turn off the computer and spend quality time with those that matter most. We never know how precious our time is until it's taken away.

4 comments:

Megan Parsons said...

I couldn't agree more! Still battling daily with balancing career and life because I love what I do so much. Thanks for sharing!!! I needed this reminder.

Unknown said...

Beautifully written, Nicole. Sometimes people try to justify it by assuming hard work now may equal balance later. What they fail to see [what I fail to see sometimes] is that by the time you are done obsessing over working hard, the balance is no longer available. Because there is nothing left to wait for you when you get home.

Nicole Hughes said...

@ Megan - I feel like we all need the reminder every couple of months! Same for rest days!!! ;)

Nicole Hughes said...

@ CrossFitChron - you're so right - balance is key!! I am working hard to stay focused...I'm counting on you to keep me honest (haha) ;)