When you were a child did you ever play on a see-saw with your friend and explore the fun of balance? I remember we would take turns sending each other to the top and then to the bottom, and eventually we would explore getting ourselves into perfect balance. The balance of work and life can often feel similar to that see-saw.
There is so much talk about the work/life balance and it often implies that the two should be equal. Then when it isn’t equal we can feel that we are doing something wrong, where in reality it is more akin to playing on a see-saw.
Just like in the playground, we experience a lot more than staying in complete balance. If we think of the see-saw as a scale with work on one side and life on the other we spent very little time with them in equilibrium. Instead sometimes work was more powerful, other times life took priority.
The trick was know that you would have the time to explore the ups and down and in accepting it you became comfortable.
Just like on the see-saw, as you alternated moving up and down, you may find that work moves up in priority, when other times it moves down allowing your personal life to take a higher priority. The trick is to recognize that balance doesn’t necessary mean the two being equal, but instead releasing the struggle to keep them equal, accept alternating and take joy in the time where you find yourself.
What do you remember about playing on the see-saw? How does your work/life balance resemble that experience? Share with me below.
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