Do you ever wonder if you can achieve a "balanced life" as an entrepreneur? Do you struggle to give attention to your business, your family, your social life and to yourself, but wind up feeling let down and frustrated at how difficult it can be? Entrepreneurs need to begin seeing the concept of balance differently than most people, and I'll explain exactly how you can do this.
When you think of "balance", what generally comes to mind? If you're like the majority of people, the word balance makes you think about giving equal attention to every aspect of your life, like the pieces of a perfectly sliced pie. You may have learned that everything in your life needs the same amount of your time and energy in order for you to experience true balance. Sure, a balance scale is seen as "balanced" when both sides hold the same amount, but we're human beings, not balance scales. This way of thinking leads many entrepreneurs to feel quite pressured, as they struggle to give everything a "little bit" of their time. It can be difficult to feel a sense of fulfillment and success when we're being pulled in so many different directions at once.
As a Holistic Health Coach, I teach my clients how to begin viewing the concept of balance differently. I ask my clients to think about their level of satisfaction in various areas of their lives ("How satisfied am I about this particular area of my life?"). This might mean looking at an area such as relationships, finance, career, creativity or spiritual practice. Rather than struggling to give all areas of our life equal attention, you can begin paying attention to those areas that you are not feeling satisfied in. Your gut will tell you which parts of your life need more attention at this particular point in time, and which ones are just fine as they are. This is a personal decision that you'll need to make, which will allow you to quickly realize that the idea of "balance" is very individualistic, which is completely okay. Perhaps the word "balance" is no longer what you'll be striving for, but rather "satisfaction". How does that feel for a change?
As a busy entrepreneur, you have many hats to wear, and it can be a challenge trying to juggle all of your responsibilities. As a first step, I would recommend that you ask yourself the following questions to clarify which areas you may need to focus on more:
*What do I often struggle with?
*How would I like to feel? Why? What difference would this make in my life?
*What might an ideal day in my life look like?
Taking the time to reflect on these questions would be a great place to begin assessing your satisfaction with your particular areas of your life, and help you begin to identify some areas that immediately stand out as needing more attention. Your life as an entrepreneur isn't supposed to be perfect, but you do deserve to feel a sense of purpose, meaning and energy in your life…after all, isn't that the bigger reason why you became an entrepreneur in the first place? Giving yourself the gift of time to reflect on your personal level of satisfaction in your life will definitely reap great results. You might even find yourself redefining what balance looks and feels like in a way that is just right for you, and only you.
Milissa Harding is a Certified Holistic Health Coach who teaches new entrepreneurs how to maintain healthy energy levels needed to grow their business and create the lives they truly desire from the inside out. Visit http://www.healthystartcoaching.ca/ to receive your free copy of "6 Steps to Become a Healthy and Energized Entrepreneur".