I believe that it is not how we balance our time that leads to success and happiness but more specifically, what we are balancing.

Turn back the clock three years.  My idea of balance used to be adding more of the important things like family, relationships and fun to the other side of the scale to offset the weight of the “work” that was always keeping that side of the teeter-totter firmly on the ground.

I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that no matter what I did, work was always winning out.  Somehow I believed that it was possible to simply add more to the other side and eventually things would balance out. Funny thing – they never did.

Then the light bulb came on and I realized that the solution was not adding things on the important side, but eliminating things from the “not so important” side.  My original logic, had it actually worked, would have only broke the seesaw in the middle bringing both sides crashing to the ground.

I have a new theory now and it actually seems to be working.  Now some of you may disagree but it makes sense to me.  I have heard many say that we need to keep our work and personal lives separate.  I disagree.  I actually think this makes the challenge more difficult.  Now understand both my wife and I are self employed so this may not work for you but it is definitely worth considering.

Let me start by saying that there is definitely a need to totally unplug from work every once and a while to simply recharge your batteries and clear your mind.  But for the most part, it is unrealistic to think that your work and personal lives can be separate.

So if you buy into my logic so far, here is how it works.  The key to balance is to keep the amount of things you are balancing at a limit that you can control.  The more control you have, the closer all those things are to the middle of the plank that they all rest upon.

Think of it like this – we all remember when we were kids and were on the teeter-totter (or seesaw), right?  If you were on one end, it took an equal or greater weight on the opposite end to move up and down.  In other words, 100% or greater to your weight to balance.  When the weight is close to the center, it takes less movement to bring it into balance.

My point – I have now removed those heavy objects that were all the way out at the end, those objects that required a lot of added weight on the other side to bring things into balance.  Now I have control over most of my list, and my life, and it takes less movement on my part to keep things balanced.

Yes, I still deal with the occasional lopsided crash, but all in all I hit the ground much less than before.

So my question for you today is this – “Is your life filled with things that hang on the far ends of your control or are most of them close to your core set of priorities allowing you to keep them in balance?”
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Barry Smith    7/1/13   photo by author   © Building What Matters 2013

The post The Key To Life Is Balance … Or Is It? appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.

The 5 Pillars is a project that I have been working on for almost two years and am looking forward to officially launching “The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership” Coaching program on May 23th.

Why the 5 Pillars?  I have spent more than 30 years in the business world and although it has been primarily in the Construction world, the 5 Pillars philosophy works across all industries.  In fact, while developing this program I realized that it can have a significant impact on your personal life as well.

I will break down each Pillar into three sections, personal, business and community. Any growth or improvement needs to start within, with the end goal of influencing the community you live in.  In this post we will take a look at BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT.

The environment that we live in impacts the way we live in countless ways.  The question is “Is my current environment conducive to my growth?”

BALANCE

Balancing your time between your work and personal life is one of the biggest challenges any of us face.  Understanding your purpose and responsibilities helps you to prioritize your time correctly.

CHANGE

For most of us, change comes about from the actions and requirements of others. Understanding how change impacts you directly will help you to handle it in a productive way.

CULTURE

What type of business culture are you surrounded by?  Is it one you are proud of?  If you can’t explain to someone else what the corporate culture is within your environment, you may not be in one conducive to growth.

ENGAGEMENT

Are you and your fellow employees engaged in the workplace or simply there to collect a paycheck?  Engagement will tell a lot about the business environment you are in.

MORALE

Would you consider the morale in your workplace high or low?  Probably somewhere in between.  What changes at work would increase company morale?

MOTIVATION

Are you motivated by external or internal forces to do a good job at work?  Many of us are able to motivate from within, but this will only last so long.

TEAMWORK

Teamwork is critical in any organization.  Are you part of the problem or part of the solution when it comes to collaborative efforts within your team?

TRAINING

What opportunities are you provided in your workplace to further your skills?  Is there a commitment from management to provide training or is it something you continually have to ask for?

RESPECT

Is your opinion respected at work?  Are you listened to when you have something to say? Being respected and respecting others are difference makers when it comes to personal or corporate success.

The 5 Pillars coaching program will take each topic to a much deeper level.  We will explore open ended questions and how they are directly impacting your life and more specifically in this segment, will allow you to evaluate and understand your business environment and how it negatively or positively impacts your well being and your potential to succeed.

In the mean time, start asking the type of questions that will result in better answers. When you ask “How can I”  you get an answer that will move the needle.  “How can I improve my business environment so that it is more conducive to my growth and the growth of my business?”  Answer that question, act on it, and you will succeed.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER FOR THE MAY 23RD CALL

RELATED:

• Click here to see Part 1 of The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership
• Click here to see Part 2 of The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership
• Click here to see Part 3 of The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership
• Click here to see Part 4 of The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership
• Click here to see Part 5 of The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership
• For more on The 5 Pillars of Influential Leadership and to view my video click here
• To view my guest post in the 2013 International Leadership Blogathon click here

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com      5/9/13            photo by author

The post The 5 Pillars Of Influential Leadership – Part 6: Our Environment appeared first on BUILDING WHAT MATTERS.COM.