For Impact

Blog

Seek Balance

For Impact Ideas | | Tom Suddes

March 20, 2012 (next Tuesday) is the ‘spring equinox‘… one of two days in the year when day and night are in PERFECT BALANCE.

Here are some thoughts from the ‘Old Guy’ on BALANCE.

SEEK BALANCE. The idea that you can’t have reasonable ‘BALANCE’ seems absurd to me.

It’s your life. If given the choice of balancing your work, business, career with your LIFE, why wouldn’t we always choose LIFE?

When somebody says, “Get a life“, that’s what they mean. Make a life… not a living.

We’re all terminally ill. I’ve been around a lot of workaholics and ‘busy’, ‘busy’ people. They’re all going to die. When you talk to old people like me, they will remind you that your children will never be this age again. Your parents will eventually be gone. Your brothers and sisters will be spread around the country. (And, if they’re really honest, they”ll tell you that the whole ‘quality time’ vs. ‘actual time’ is just a cop out.)

Master motivator Zig Ziglar says,

“TRUE SUCCESS REQUIRES BALANCE.”

He goes on to say that

“SUCCESS is only real if it encompasses
physical, mental, spirit,
relationships, career and finances.”

My own version of BALANCE is around six LIFE ROCKS: FAMILY, CALLING, HEALTH, WEALTH, SPIRIT and PERSONAL GROWTH.

Don’t listen to all the people who tell you that BALANCE is impossible. If something has to give… then CHOOSE LIFE.

Special Note: As any athlete knows, the concept of physical BALANCE is critical. In boxing or yoga or most any sport, BALANCE comes from CORE STRENGTH. Think about that. Your LIFE BALANCE should be built around your ‘CORE’: your PURPOSE. your PASSION, your PRINCIPLES and your ‘STRENGTH’… your CHARACTER, COMMITMENT and COMPASSION.

I actually heard a renown university professor and one of the most successful business people in the country state to a class of MBA’s:

“It is pretty much impossible to balance your
business and career with your family.”

I so violently disagree that it is difficult to capture on paper.

I’ve been involved with 19 businesses and have worked with thousands of organizations. Although I WISH I had spent more time with my family, I once took an entire summer off with the kids, I rarely missed a game or a birthday, I practically moved to San Diego when my daughters Kerry and Meghan were in school (much to their chagrin and regret). Now, I’ve got a 50-acre farm devoted primarily to the grandkids (although the rest of the family is certainly welcome).

I’ve also been the Boxing Coach at Notre Dame for 35+ years. For the last 23 years, I’ve taken six weeks ‘off’ each year to ‘vacation’ in South Bend, Indiana in the dead of winter (January and February). That’s a 4 hour and 12 minute ‘commute’ from Columbus to South Bend.

We all make time for what we believe is important.

There’s always been a lot of pressure to “make money”, to “work long hours”, to “focus on your career”. The underlying assumption is that there will always be time later for your life, or your family, or your children. Bull honkey.

Special, Special Note: ‘Balance’ is one thing, but I’ve thought on many occasions that our careers and business life ought to be lived in reverse. Spend our prime years with our children and family… then work on our ‘career’ or ‘calling’ after they are gone and independent. Then, the more I thought about this, it would screw up the whole time with the grandkids. 🙂