Have you ever wondered how some people seem to have it together? How do they seem to get so much done while living a full life? I have wondered, especially when I saw fellow entrepreneurs doing such amazing, fun things, while I felt like I had a never-ending list of things that needed to be accomplished.
I remember being surprised one day when someone commented to me about all the fun I had. It was one of those aha moments as I realized that, primarily through social media, people see my highlight reels, not my everyday life. The comment made me see or recognize that we don’t get a complete picture of someone’s life to see if it is truly balanced.
Over time, I have come to believe that there is no such thing as a balanced life. Balance implies that everything is equal. In life, real life, the scale between work and fun slides as needed.
What I prefer over balance is harmony. A harmonious life is one where we achieve joy and accomplishment every day.
A harmonious life allows you to live how you need to and will enable you to adjust to fit what’s going on in your life and the lives of those you love at any given time.
But here are some tips to help you achieve more harmony in your life.
I think it’s essential that we start by recognizing that what harmony looks like to me will be different than what harmony looks like to you.
If I measure harmony as a combination of joy and accomplishment, what brings me joy and what makes me feel accomplished will differ from yours.
So, building a harmonious life Starts with recognizing what is right for you. It means letting go of comparison and focusing and understanding what brings you feelings of joy and accomplishment.
My second tip is to remember that you’re not in it alone. As entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs, we often feel like we have to do it ourselves, and asking for help may be considered weak or a failure.
I know that I’ve been guilty of this.
Recently, I broke my collarbone, and if you’ve ever had a broken collarbone, you know that there are a lot of things you cannot do on your own, and I’ve had to learn to ask for and accept help.
I have realized how much people want to be there for me and how many want to help. The help can be as simple as moving a dinner date to Zoom or as big as picking me up to take me to a networking event.
It has been a learning experience to understand just how much people want to feel needed and appreciated.
So instead of feeling like you have to do it all and that you’re all alone, maybe you can try reaching out for help. The help doesn’t have to be big, but it can make a big difference in achieving your version of harmony.
It is easy to say yes; it is harder to say no.
Yet one reason it is hard to say no is because we don’t know what to say yes or no to
Knowing what your priorities are and what your goals are makes this a lot easier. Once you know your priorities, it’s easy to assess a request to see if it fits your goals and priorities.
I like to look at requests through a sorting checklist.
This may still sound hard, but if you think about it, if you’re saying yes to things that aren’t going to bring you Joy or accomplishment, then you aren’t going to live a life that feels harmonious. These tasks or requests will also prevent you from saying yes when something that is a priority or a hell yes comes up.
Get clear about your goals and priorities so you can prioritize where you spend your time.
But I often think we don’t realize how much joy and accomplishment are in our lives because we don’t check-in. I have found that one of the easiest ways for me to see how much harmony I have in my life is to take a couple of minutes each day and write down what I’m grateful for and what my wins are.
It is a simple and quick exercise that helps me take a quick inventory of everything that brought me joy and what I accomplished that day. For me, my gratitude often centers around simple things or people. I am constantly grateful for the quick cup of tea I had out in the sun on my deck, the support I received from my husband or the word of encouragement from a friend. This exercise often quickly demonstrates just how fulfilling my life is.
This exercise is a part of my day’s closing process. Before I log off for the day, I quickly take a couple of minutes to jot down my gratitude and wins. Maybe this is something you can incorporate into one of your routines.
The final tip to creating a harmonious life is remembering your importance. As you took inventory of what brings you, Joy, you likely included things just for you. If you didn’t, you might want to take another look at the list. All of us need to recharge, but to recharge, you have to know what helps you make time for those activities.
As entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs, we can often feel that doing things for ourselves is secondary or selfish; however, if there’s nothing left in you to give, then you are no good to anyone, not your team, not your family, not your clients so to be the amazing entrepreneurs we are we have to take time out for ourselves.
I like to carve out some time in the morning before others are awake, just for myself. What I do in that time depends on my time, but it often includes meditation, journaling, and a little movement. Find out what brings you Joy and work with your family to carve out some space for you.
In summary, stop comparing your life to others; figure out what harmony means to you, find out what will bring you Joy and accomplishment, and try to do a little bit of that of each one of those every day if you can do that you will find that your life is pretty awesome and while you’re living that amazing life don’t forget that you are not alone don’t forget to say no to that what is not a priority so that you can say yes to that what is make sure you are one of those priorities and finally help yourself see the beautiful life you have by checking in every day with what you are grateful for and what your wins are
One of my priorities is connecting with fabulous people, so if you are open to it, DM me so we can have a virtual coffee together.
There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work Life Choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.Jack Welch
There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work Life Choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.
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