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Work Life vs. Home Life – The Epic Struggle

There’s a common misconception all over the United States, and very likely the world, that business life and personal or home life must compete for balance. We constantly struggle to find “balance” between our two worlds as though they’re home to two different people. It is likely true that each “world” has varied characteristics and responsibilities, but the meat of the matter lies in the fact that we each have only ONE life.

In my opinion, people everywhere would find lots more peace if they would just ACCEPT the fact that we are each more than “just” our work, or “just” our duties at home. We are each so much more than “just” anything and everything. Never, ever use the word “just” do describe yourself. By its very definition “just” is an adjective that means “merely.” You are MERELY nothing, you are SO MUCH MORE THAN MERELY and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Let me put it to you this way:

You only have ONE life, and you only have so much time to make that one life all it can be. No matter how hard you try, you cannot compartmentalize your one life. The more you try, the more stressed out you’ll become trying to find balance that doesn’t really exist. No matter how hard you try, your work will come home with you on some level, or vice versa — and rightly so. After all, most people (if they work outside the home) will spend more time with coworkers than they will with family throughout the course of their lives. I’m sure you know this, but some people don’t LOVE their work – how miserable would those people be if thoughts of their families, friends, hobbies, et. cetera, didn’t accompany them at work?

Over and again I’ve heard the phrases “it’s just business, nothing personal.” I’ve read it in books, heard it in movies, I’ve heard it in real life – but believe you me, for the person on the receiving end of said exchange, things are VERY personal.

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE, your business, your family, your hobbies, and hopefully your faith are all part of that ONE life.

Stop trying to separate one from the other. Stop ignoring the fact that business is personal for someone… for everyone. Stop telling yourself that there’s something wrong with overlapping the points of your life. STOP TAKING THE HUMANITY OUT OF BUSINESS.

I firmly believe that if we all started living our ONE life to the fullest, and dumped every “compartment” of our existence into the ONE life we have, we’d see more success, more happiness at home and at work, more peace and even more money. Yes that’s right, more money.

Such a change is totally possible, and it’s entirely up to you – because this kind of change starts within each of US. Accepting the wholeness of our lives starts in our own minds and migrates to our hearts and our bodies. You don’t have to change the way you behave at work or at home, you just have to change the way you THINK about those two parts of the whole. Give yourself a break. Don’t feel guilty for loving what you do, who you are and where you’re going.