In the previous article, we've defined Work from a Biblical perspective. We defined it by the Good Book because of one reason: it is the one treasure trove of wisdom that has survived the course of time and is older than Sun Tzu's Art of War, the writings of Confucius and more sensible than the Vedas and other ancient manuscripts. No other literary work has touched and changed lives, and no other literary work has been able to trace history as accurately. It therefore makes sense to have our logic and perception about work be guided by it.
We said in the Work-Life Balance Part 1 that we need to understand that work is supposed to be productive and rewarding. And if it doesn't seem like that, either we endeavor to change our perspective or make a choice to change our circumstances.
That being said, we bring you Work-Life Balance Part 2 - What Is Work-Life Balance?
While it is a broad term that basically boils down to the concept of juggling one's career with one's personal life. To make it clearer, let's let Wikipedia define it:
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) on one hand and "life" (Health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development) on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance". (Source)Translated to more practical terms, work-life balance is:
- Not overworking.
- Making time to be with family and friends, catch decent sit-down meals and actually LIVING.
- Understanding and getting the hang of a balance between needs, wants and the drive to achieve all of them.
Work-life balance is NOT working 90-hour weeks, in order to reach the top of the corporate ladder. Work-life balance is NOT being in constant pursuit of the next big status symbol. Work-life balance is NOT being a slave to your shopaholism, your hedonism, weekend alcoholism, and other isms.
Work-life balance is that thing you attempt at maintaining in order to be happy with your life. Work-life balance is that state wherein you hit Sunday and you look back at the week that was and know that you were undoubtedly happy. Work-life balance is being content with the little things in life and knowing that even with these little things, you can say that you are living a successful existence.
A certain church teaches that the top priorities in one's life SHOULD be:
- God
- Family
- Work
- Ministry
This is open to debate, of course. If you're not familiar with "Ministry," it is that voluntary endeavor to serve one's church, or, more importantly, to lead people to Christ. But that's another story.
One thing about this priority hierarchy is that it would help you decide when you're caught in crunch time. It helps maintain order in one's life. If caught between two important, crucial things in your life, you'll know where the axe falls.
So many of high-powered corporate executives miss out on the quality of life they lead because they pour everything into work, only to lose the one thing that they do everything for: Family. To avoid a bitter annulment, this priority list should guide you.
One thing is that we are not trying to impose a values structure onto you; we're just saying that we were taught this principle, and we found that it works. You may test it if you like.
The bottom line is that, in the game of life, at the end of the day, all you really want is to remain sane. If you seek Work-life balance, sanity is what you will have.
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Here's the list of the whole Work-Life Balance Series:
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