4 Questions to Help You Evaluate Your Work-Life Balance

By Deb Siverson, CPCC, PCC, WBE | President Xponents, and CWCC Member

Taking time off this week has given me time to take stock. I have read more, slept longer, and exercised more consistently.  I have seen two movies (one I enjoyed and the other not so much).  Time away from my typical work routine helps me restore my energy and tune-up my relationships.  The space it creates for me to take a breath and assess my current situation is priceless…not doing so is risky business.

I am at our time-share in Florida this summer with my husband and sixteen year-old. The first time I was here it was when the teenager was 8 months old. I had escaped the antics of another teenager that long-ago summer and was looking for a respite from the storm. I recall how my little one stayed up most nights crying that trip.  He cut half-dozen teeth in as many days and we didn’t get to bed until late most nights.  Now he stays up late watching TV or wandering the property.  The more things change the more they stay the same.

This time around the storm we have had to contend with is tropical storm Debby, who delivered many days of rain, wind, and uncertainty.  As I reflect on the week I am quite pleased with myself.  Relaxing is not my strong suit and yet I have been able to go with the flow, make the best of what is, and live more in the moment vs. the future state of things.  No one can miss the irony of Debby being here with me on my vacation and so I am compelled to explore how she might be a metaphor for my current situation.

As Debby made her way slowly across the Gulf she threatened to become a full blown hurricane first setting her sights on Louisiana and then making her way in to Florida and Georgia.  At the center was torrential rains and on the fringes it was messy and unpredictable.  During my busy work season I feel that intensity at my core and while I practice steadiness and developing a process to create order, I feel the inner turmoil of having virtually no day-to-day routines. But on further assessment and evaluation, I realize that the real havoc it creates is on the fringes.  And like Debby, when I have finally run my course I am too tired to do anything but clean up the mess.

Creating a new reality requires that we slow down from time to time and evaluate our progress, assess our opportunities, and consciously move forward in a direction that meets our objectives.  This level of reflection is not for the faint-hearted. It takes courage to ask oneself the hard questions. For me it always seems to come back to some version of the questions below.

Knowing that my days on this earth are numbered: How can I live a life that is:

• deeply satisfying
• passion-filled
• connected to Spirit, Self, and Others, and
• fulfilling my life’s purpose

The answer is to continue to ask the questions.

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