WHAT IS WORK-LIFE BALANCE, ANYWAY?

If you’re like ….everyone I know with a business…. this entrepreneur hat is just one of MANY that you wear.

In addition to running your business, you’re also a wife, mom, sister, friend, daughter – or husband, brother, soccer coach, [insert LIFE role here].

What I’ve realized lately is how frighteningly easy it is to let the business part swallow up the LIFE part. When you enjoy your work and genuinely feel called to do it – it’s hard to separate the two!

And while some folks say it’s not necessary to separate the two, I disagree.

Especially for those of us with kiddos running (crawling, lounging) around.

In my experience, trying to be, do, and have everything at ONCE is a recipe for guilty disaster.

Earlier this year I had a game-changing aha moment about managing both biz AND fam (without all the guilt). That’s what I’d love to share with you today.

I get a lot of the same Qs – many about communication and copy, plenty about behind-the-scenes how-tos, and then the big mama Q we’re ALL looking to answer for ourselves:

How do you balance running a profitable business while still being a great wife and mom?

Here’s what goes through my head when someone asks me this:

1. HA! Do I??

2. Eek. Am I seriously giving off the vibe that I’ve got it all figured out?

3. This is a reeeeally important conversation to have. I need to make a video about it.

(So I finally made a video about it!)

In this one, you’ll learn:

How my work-life balance shifted once I started working for myself (vs. Uncle Sam)
What happened when I tried to be full-time everything (hint: It wasn’t good.)
The aha moment I’d love to share with EVERY entrepreneurial mom on the planet
What it sounds like when the Blue Angels fly over our house (#gonavy)
My best tips for maximizing productivity (+ fun!) and minimizing the guilt

Click below to watch (or take a listen):

IN A (COCO)NUT SHELL

We can have it all. But if we try to have it all at once, we’ll go crazy.

We need to do our work because…it matters. It sets a great example for our little ones, it fulfills an important piece of our purpose, and it can change the future of our families for the better.

We also need to be PRESENT with our loved ones because…they matter. Our time together is precious, and at the end of the day, that mushy love stuff is what it’s is all about.

In the words of Gretchen Rubin (author of The Happiness Project), “The days are long, but the years are short.” (Tweet that!)

So what can we do to strike a “healthy balance”?

We can do our best to be mindful. To compartmentalize and be as present as (imperfect) humanly possible.

When it’s time to work – we really WORK. When it’s time to play – we really play PLAY.

And when we inevitably mix one with the other – we FORGIVE ourselves. For the love.

IN OTHER WORDS…

Some days we’ll work too much. Some days we’ll play too much.

As long as our work-too-much days pave the way for more play-too-much days, I think we’re headed in the right direction. (Tweet that!)

YOUR HOMEWORK

There’s no one right answer here. (And to be honest, I don’t even like the term “working mamas” because ALL mamas work – whether that involves a career outside the fam or not.) I also don’t want to exclude you if you’re child-free and have your time all to yourself (in theory). Balancing all the good life stuff is tricky.

But it’s easier when you know you’re not alone. SO. In the comments below, tell me:

How do YOU define + create a workable balance in your life?

Can’t wait to hear what you think on this one.

To working + playing with gusto,