Can I ask you a question? Who gets your best? We live in a funny old world that can sometimes have us with our priorities all the wrong way about.
If you stop and think about it who does get your best?
Is it your loved ones or is it your boss or colleagues at work? Is it your hungry for attention child / partner or a client that causes your unending trouble. Is it your loving and forever friends or a business you are working to get off the ground or out of a hole? It’s really worthwhile taking time to consider this.
Most of you if you were asked why do you work, there would be at some theme around the necessity to work so you can earn a living and provide for your families. Am I right?
If you are one of the lucky ones you love what you do, that is truly a bonus! But, how many times have you found yourself in the situation where life and work just gets crazy and takes over?
You drag your sorry butt in the door after a big day, you bark at your partner or spouse because they want a piece of you, you yell at your kids as they ask for a piece of you and you look for the wine glass to be full. Can anyone relate?
I have felt like this many times throughout my career and I love what I do. However, without careful management and dedication to keeping you eyes on things the balance beam can slip into unhealthy really quickly.
I heard a seminar by a very wise man recently and he spoke about keeping some space before our boundary so that when we get home we have energy and time for those we love the most. If we spend everything we have at work then we come home empty and harassed. We have nothing left to give.
Then we end up giving our worst to the ones we love the most. Look, if you are honest we have all done this at one time or another. If you can’t relate then you are on the wrong blog seriously. Perhaps go find angels anonymous or something! Or come and teach me how you do it, because I find it a continual juggle to get the balance right.
So how do we keep the space and ensure we have enough when we get home? I believe it is a combination of things. Here are a few of my ideas;
- Knowing yourself well enough to know when you are becoming overwhelmed. Then ask for help!
- Being able to have healthy boundaries at work so that you don’t allow your work to dominate your life all of the time.
- Knowing what fills your tank so that you are giving back to yourself, this is your responsibility not someone else’s.
- Ensuring that you fill your own tank with activities that bring you a sense of joy and fulfillment.
- Being able to just “be” even if it is for a short time.
- Keeping things in a healthy perspective.
- Setting goals for yourself and with your family (if you don’t know where you are headed you will never get to where you want to be).
- In coming articles we will cover some of these points in more detail because I really believe this is important stiff to get right in your lives. It is sad when you find yourself giving your all to people who don’t matter & leaving nothing in your tank for the people who do matter most. I encourage you to take the time to check in and see where you are at. You and your relationships are worth it.
Until next time, Care, Connect and be a Courageous Communicator. Let’s change the world we live in one conversation at a time.
