Definition of life-work balance: It’s the art of managing our time, energy, and our thoughts along with the endless needs of our work, our families, personal happiness and obligations. Life balance also means the balance of our attitudes, beliefs and approaches to life between the structured and the spontaneous, between flexibility and fixed schedules and our needs to socialise as well as be alone.And finally it applies to balancing our relationships, achievements and all things involving people around us.

Life balance is about doing something about our priorities or the realisation of our priorities and asking ourselves the hard questions about what and who really matters in our life and whether we are living our lives accordingly.

For most of us, balancing seems like a pretty good idea. But there may be some things to consider first before adopting the task of life-work balance:

• You may not win the Nobel Peace Prize
• You may not have a bridge named after
you…….or a park or monument
• You may not become famous
• You may be less likely to become PM
• You may not become massively wealthy
from building business empires
• You may not be super computer savvy
with all the latest gadgets

It is not impossible for ‘balanced’ people to do these things, but they are less likely to do these things compared with single minded people who pursue these goals with all their time and energy. Balance and quality of life are not so much a matter of getting more done, as they are
a matter of deciding what is important and spending more time and thought on things that are meaningful, whether they are planned or not.
It is now probably as good a time as any if we wish to pursue balance in our lives to sit, ponder and take stock of what is really important to us and what is going to give us contentment and purpose. What are you passionate about, what pushes your buttons and makes you feel good? Is it time with family and friends, sitting in the garden, admiring the sunset, walking on the beach, painting, singing, playing sport. What are you going to do about it and what do you need to change to empower your life and start reaping the good stuff?

Maybe we will all need to stop feeling guilty about allowing ourselves to indulge in what we love and be aware of our thinking that tells us we are our jobs or careers and that is what makes us who we are. Aren’t you more than just your job? How guilty do you feel if you’re not being there for everyone else and running around after everyone all the time? Are these things truly important to you? If we want to have a balance in life we need to schedule time for ourselves and take the time to nurture our souls and enjoy life instead of cramming so much into our day. Now is the time to get in touch with who you are and start to live your dream. Be in charge, take control, decide what you want, and don’t
let anything get in your way. Enjoy the journey, I am sure we all do not wish to make it to the end of the road and say gee I should have worked harder!!! Let’s start living in the NOW!