How do you balance your work and personal life?

Most of the time it seems as if we are squeezing in the personal in between our work obligations, but sometimes it is the other way around – personal takes precedence. It’s been one of those weeks.

Between my granddaughter’s first day of summer and my elderly mum having some medical and legal issues to take care, there hasn’t been a lot of work going on this week.

And you know what? I have decided that rather than stressing about it, it’s OK.  I’m blessed to be self employed and having the flexibility to manage my time and my work; we are a 2 income family and I’m not the only one paying the bills, in fact my hubby’s biz is booming. I realize that not everyone has the luxury of taking the time to take care of family when the need is there, or if they do, may face serious financial and employment consequences. So I am feeling very grateful.

Grateful to have been able to spend the day with my seven-year-old granddaughter reliving that magical feeling of  the expansive freedom of the first day of summer vacation, enjoying her day of skateboarding, monkey bars, puzzles and an ice cream treat.

Grateful to spend this time with my mum, helping her though the hurdles of aging, knowing that at 88, it’s really an unknown much time we have left with her. 

Work will always be there, but there are only so many first days of summer vacation, and only so many days to walk the path with an aging parent.

Just like a seesaw, sometimes one side is up, and sometimes it’s down and rarely is it perfectly poised in the middle. And that seems to be the way of things.

So here is my advice on a summer afternoon – trust your heart to lead the way, and at the end of the day, you will find that right balance.

The Love of Learning

I got a little push back from my dear hubby last night over dinner on my blog post on delegating.   As I mentioned, he is not a fan, preferring to spend the time learning how to do whatever it is he needs to do.

So, in the interests of fair journalistic reporting, I decided to interview him and get the other side of the story.

As it turns out, we are on the same page – mostly.  That’s actually part of what makes our marriage work so beautifully – huge areas of compatibility and shared values, balanced with our own quirky variations on how we see and be in the world that keeps that happy tension and spark alive.

But that’s another subject.

Back to doing it yourself vs. delegating.

What James loves about doing it yourself is the challenge -  the thrill of satisfaction that comes from mastering something you didn’t previously know how to do. Simply put, the love of learning.

Well, that’s actually a value and a perspective I share whole-heartedly. I love learning. You should see how many online courses I have signed up for over the years. My bookshelves are filled with how-to books. I can’t count the number of times I have Googled “How do I…”  It’s amazing what you can learn on-line these days!

I love learning new stuff. I too love the challenge, and the reward of figuring something new out.

It’s a constant lifelong process, being a learner. And I wouldn’t change that for the world – it’s part of what keeps me alive, engaged, and interested in life. And the more I learn, the more I can share and be of service to others, by passing along what I learn.  There is nothing quite so satisfying as learning something new, figuring it out, and then teaching it to someone else.

So, where does that leave me with the benefits of delegating?

I’m still all for it. To me, it’s a question of honing in on what I actually want to learn, what excites me, what challenges me… And outsourcing the things that don’t float my boat. There is, after all, a finite amount of time available to us – at least in this go around – so for me, it’s a question of choosing wisely how I want to use that time.

Bottom line – learn to do the things that inspire you, and let go of those that don’t – and give someone who does love to do that thing the opportunity to do so. It’s a Win-Win.

What about you dear reader?  What can't you wait to learn? And what are you just itching to delegate?