One of the greatest myths ever told is that Work and Personal are separate. Thousands of leaders, teachers, experts, and coaches perpetuate this myth. But it’s not true. The sooner you realize and learn this, the closer you are to achieving BALANCE in the both areas of your life.
I like to always talk about starting with the end in mind or others call it your final outcome. It’s an effective technique. So, the desired outcome for anyone in the Business World is BALANCE. We want both a work and personal life and we want both areas to be thriving, not just surviving.
But Balance is another OVER used word. Sometimes when I hear other coaches or consultants or psychologist talk about it, I want to puke. That’s’ because they constantly tell the myth story again: That Work and Personal are separate.
This is another one of those “20th Century” paradigms, I like to call them. That might have been true or at least partially true for our parents or grandparents. But not in the 21st Century, not after the iPhone changed everything, not when we have our smartphone on our body at ALL times. No, separation of Work and Personal is really a downright lie. And if you believe that lie, you’re really in trouble.
Don’t agree? Here’s a question then: if you had a big fight last night with your wife or significant other, are you in “peak” state or peak performance at work the next day? If your Boss railed you at work today, right before you went home, are you in the best “mood” when you walk through the door and your wife says “the toilette’s overflowing, fix it?” Or, how much fun are you, really, at a dinner out with friends when you’re waiting on a $1 million Purchase Order from a vendor that was supposed to arrive hours ago? Where’s your head? Lastly, if you check your email at 4:45pm on Friday afternoon and there’s a dire situation that you can’t address until Monday, do you put it out of your mind all weekend or does it stay right on top of all your thoughts until you’re back in the office?
I can go on with more examples if you still don’t’ believe me. Really, with email, Facebook, Twitter and a cellphone in our pocket at all times, is there really a separation of Work and Personal? And, as my questions above pointed to, even if you PHYSICALLY separate the two areas, or spheres as I like to call them, there is the EMOTIONAL side that can’t ever be separated. You can only learn to change your State and Meaning of what happens in your business or personal worlds. That’s the only way one doesn’t affect the other, at least emotionally.
But separation is still a myth. That’s’ because a human being is really a whole person. Now, I’m not going to go all New Age on your or anything, but I do like the word “holistic.” It really means the entirety or all aspects. That’s what I believe work and personal really are. They are aspects of THE ONE YOU. The sooner you acknowledge this (you don’t have to believe it because it is true), the faster you can learn to achieve BALANCE between them.
Many of my writings, videos, and programs teach ways to look at Business (work) and Personal in entirely new paradigms. Many of my strategies literally throw old, 20th Century approaches, out the window. Those worked for those times. But we need new approaches for this time.
In doing so, I can show you how to really achieve BALANCE between Business and Personal. It starts with gaining more Time but that is only superficial. The key is that you understand that the separation is a myth. Take that as your new mindset and you’re already down the path to more Balance in your life. And, I truly believe that by achieving (or at least striving for) more Balance in your life, you will have discovered the secret to true happiness. And, that is the ultimate outcome we all seek.