Is Life Balance Really Possible?

Your life is spent in the minutes, hours, and days that are yours. How do you spend that time, and where do you spend that time? Does the way you spend your life seem to mirror your interests, joy, values, and relationships? If not, why not?

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal by Allison Pohle, “The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2020 Better Life Index found that the U.S. ranks 30th out of 40 countries in terms of time devoted to leisure and personal care. With fewer Americans commuting to workplaces during the coronavirus pandemic, many are using that time to work even more, leading some to feel burned out. In a September survey of 310 organizations by the Conference Board, 46% of respondents said their work-life balance had decreased.”

An Intentional Approach to life balance

Life balance means something different to every individual and it is important that you determine what balance appropriately supports your mission, values, and goals. Healthy individuals have multiple sources of satisfaction. Are you regularly engaging in a variety of activities that bring you satisfaction? This is an opportunity to evaluate what is important to spend time on and what activities you need to diminish in your life.

Having a balanced life doesn’t happen by accident. It requires an intentional approach toward one’s life, aimed at achieving a comfort level that an individual desires in all areas that matter to them. It’s next to impossible to move immediately from being a workaholic to having a well-balanced life. Moving in a positive direction is a step-by-step process. It requires personal commitment.

Having a balanced life doesn’t happen by accident. It requires an intentional approach toward one’s life, aimed at achieving a comfort level that an individual desires in all areas that matter to them.

For example, Ken explained that his job required 12 -14-hour days to get the work done. Over time, he committed to a work reduction of one hour at a time until he reached the point where he, his employer, and his co-workers understood how much he was willing to invest in his job and what he needed outside of work to be a happy and healthy individual.

Integrating Life Balance

Life balance needs to be seen holistically and integrated with all aspects of your life and not as a pure balancing of your time, effort, and attention. You’ll need to think about those areas of your life where time spent must be reduced or eliminated and those areas where it must be increased. You’ll have to think about to whom you will need to talk--your boss, your spouse or your significant other, a friend--and you will need to think about taking action steps that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive toward the vision you want.

Life balance needs to be seen holistically and integrated with all aspects of your life and not as a pure balancing of your time, effort, and attention. You’ll need to think about those areas of your life where time spent must be reduced or eliminated and those areas where it must be increased.

We know that what may appear to be the most intractable challenges to having a more balanced life can be met head-on and overcome. We have seen this in the people we coach and advise. The solution always appears to be that the challenge has to be named and accepted, and then one has to have the courage to take those first steps leading to incremental, positive change.

Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon. Click here to buy the book.

If you would like more information about living a balanced life, we recommend reading chapter six in our book Time To Get Real!. Having an appropriate life balance is one component of the Life and Career Planning Model© featured in the book. This model is the framework for developing your own life and career plan. Should you choose to create your own plan, we suggest that you consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

Create an Action Plan for Personal and Professional Success

We are pleased to announce that Alex Plinio and Melissa Smith are presenting Self-Empowerment: Leading an Intentional Life on Monday, May 23 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. This interactive Zoom session, focusing on how to create an action plan for personal and professional success, is offered by the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors and is available to any interested individuals whether or not they are members of the organization.

Click here to register

The presentation centers on a market and time-test guide to leading an intentional life. It helps individuals to take control directing them through a process leading to actions that result in personal and professional success.

Alex J. Plinio, President, Life and Career Planning LLC

· Manage unforeseen challenges with resilience, confidence, and self-direction

· Make decisions and choices that create opportunities for you

· Integrate your life and career and build the future that you desire

· Control more of your life through readiness and preparation

Their message to you is clear. You can be more in control of your future and can achieve success and happiness, but you need to think and act like the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your own life. This is the essence of their process. Be that CEO.

Melissa Smith, Managing Director, Life and Career Planning LLC

Don’t let the current environment stop you from being intentional about what you want to do with your life and career. Doing nothing is a response that you don’t want to have since it always places you in a reactive position. Now is the time to think through options and your future. Don’t wait - get ahead of the curve.

Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon. Click here to buy the book.

During this Zoom seminar, Alex and Melissa will take you through the basics of the Life and Career Planning Model© that is described in their book, Time To Get Real! They will provide options to you so that you can develop your personal life and career plan and be intentional about creating your own future.

Click here to register - Seminar cost is $39.

To learn more about the entire Self-Empowerment Principle Training Program series created by the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors® (NCJAR) to enhance personal and professional development, click here.

The Value of Your Personal Values

Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Life can be much easier when you acknowledge your personal values and when you make plans and decisions that honor them.

Personal values are those basic principles, ways of behavior, or basic belief tenets you would find exceptionally difficult to live without. There are many personal values including achievement, adventure, compassion, creativity, trustworthiness, determination, friendships, happiness, success, wisdom.

Knowing your personal values

What are your personal values? And where do they come from? First, there are many contributors to your values. Your family and the significant people in your life, both relatives and friends, make a contribution. Your religious beliefs, education, and life experiences all help you to discern how your values develop and just what they are. Why is this important? It’s important because when you plan to create a holistic, strategic approach for your life and career, your values will be the motor to drive you forward and to help you make the decisions about the kind of work you’ll do, the kind of position you’ll accept, the kind of company or organization you’ll join or move away from, and the kind of person you choose to be.

When you plan to create a holistic, strategic approach for your life and career, your values will be the motor to drive you forward and to help you make the decisions about the kind of work you’ll do, the kind of position you’ll accept, the kind of company or organization you’ll join or move away from, and the kind of person you choose to be.

We encourage you to take a look at your personal values. In our book, Time To Get Real! there is a brief exercise to help you to discern your personal values. To guide you, we refer you to a list of values, but remember that there may be a personal value you hold that is not on the list. Also, you might start out with a fairly long list of values you hold to be important, but we would encourage you not to have more than five to eight key values at the end of the exercise. As a matter of fact, you might find that some values are contained within others. For example, if you have a personal value of helping others, this might be listed as service to others or philanthropic/charitable work. Or if you have a personal value of education the value of learning could be a part of that. In any case, try to get down to the values that really matter to you.

Your behavior Reveals your values

You should be able, when your list of values is completed, to see just how the values you say you hold dear are apparent in your life. Once you have identified your most important values, it is important to then engage in behaviors that move you towards those values. This means committing to things you can do that are in line with them. Identify an action or behavior that will bring your life more in line with a particular value. For example, if a value of yours is “trustworthiness” notice if you are regularly engaging in trustworthy behavior. You can also ask a close friend or family member if they perceive your behavior as trustworthy.

Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon. Click here to buy the book.

If you would like more information about discovering and living your values, we recommend reading chapter three in our book Time To Get Real! Knowing and living your values is one component of the Life and Career Planning Model© featured in the book. This model is the framework for developing your own life and career plan. Should you choose to create your own plan, we suggest that you consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.