Tremendous amounts of time, energy and effort go into running a business. With everything there is to do, it can be easy for those who own a business to sacrifice many aspects of their personal lives in the pursuit of success.
There’s no real benefit to working yourself into the ground, however. When you become fatigued, your business suffers because you don’t possess the clarity, composure and energy necessary to be the caliber of leader required and create the level of fulfillment and success you desire.
Conversely, there’s a tremendous benefit to everyone involved — business owners, team members, customers and families — in creating and maintaining a balance between personal and business lives.
Your business is only one aspect of your life. You also have the important relationships you share with family and friends, your health, passions, hobbies and interests. When you deliberately or unconsciously allow yourself to become consumed by business and neglect these other aspects of your life, your well-being and happiness fades away.
You can’t go back and recapture those magical times in life after your children are grown. Once a divorce occurs, it’s impossible to return to the past and make up for neglecting the marriage. When your health fails, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to get it back. The more out of balance and unhappy you are, the less your financial success will ultimately mean to you because of the tremendous price you paid – what you sacrificed to obtain it.
The interesting thing about maintaining balance between life and business is that in addition to improving the quality of your life, it also allows you to become a more productive, creative and effective business owner. When you make time to care for yourself and engage in other aspects of your life, you recharge mentally, emotionally and physically. You have more to give. In other words, you increase your own potential and, therefore, the potential of your business.
When you’re in balance with your life and business, you tend to treat the people in your personal and professional lives better because your perspective is clearer and your attitude more pleasant. You’re more patient and happier. When you treat people better, they tend to do the same and your relationships improve as a result.
When you go on vacation with your significant other or skiing with your children, be fully present with them. When you attend a family function, spend time with friends, go for a bike ride, read a book in the hammock, take a swim or anything else you decide to do, enjoy the moment for all it’s worth.
Taking your spouse out for your regular date night, spending quality time with your children, pursuing your passions and going on vacation aren’t synonymous with work and business. While it’s true you can take your work with you on vacation, the reality is that neither will be the best they can be as long as your attention is divided between them. One must give way to the other. A working vacation isn’t a vacation. It’s merely working in a different location.
The secret to all of this is truly stepping away from your business when you get outside the office and engage in the rest of your life. Turn off your phone, step away from the computer, leave your business thoughts and concerns behind as much as you can. And you can much more than you realize. When you choose to do so, all the moments of your life will take on a greater meaning — for you and for everyone involved.
As a business owner, you’re the foundation of your enterprise. The more energized, inspired and balanced you are, the stronger your company will be. When the quality of your life begins to fade, take notice and take action.
In the end, each of us are left with the sum of the moments of our lives. We’ll either be pleased with the lives we lived or we won’t. Live your life with the intention of creating balance among its differing aspects and you’ll not only be more successful, but also — and perhaps more importantly — happier.
