Work-life balance is a topic of constant debate. Can you achieve it? Does it exist? What’s it all mean?
Wendy Piersall is asking those very questions. This time she’s asking dads for their input. Certainly, this is a topic of much debate and difficulty for moms. But dads get less attention. It’s assumed that dads will exist more on the work side than the life side. There’s no question, we do.
Yet, I know more and more fathers unwilling to sacrifice the life-side of the equation. They want to be there for their families, they don’t want to be married to their work. It’s tough. Lots of expectations weigh on our shoulders.
So when asked the question, “How do you balance work and life?” I reflect on my current situation – starting Standout Jobs at the same time that I’m raising a young family. Here’s what I’ve got:
You work hard.
Really, really hard.
Sometimes you win.
Sometimes you don’t.
You live on a roller coaster.
Each day you go to battle…
And hold on for dear life.
But you love every minute of it.
And that’s the secret. That’s how you start a company and a family at the same time.
Love your family. Love what you do.
Beyond the love and passion you have for your family and your business, here are some additional things to think about:
- Every day, try and move things forward, even just a little bit. Think chess. Granted, your life is more like chess on speed…
- Spend time with your kids. As a dad, I like to do those things my wife isn’t fond of, to complement the many talents she brings to the game. Kick a ball. Roughhouse. It can be simple, your kids will love the time.
- Don’t take things too seriously. I would never de-value the importance of your business; but it’s not worth sacrificing your life for.
- Date your wife.
- Become a master of productivity.
- Realize that no situation lasts forever. Your child might be having trouble sleeping – that’s OK, it won’t last forever. You need to spend more hours working to get your business going – that’s OK, you can balance it later. As grim as any situation might look, remember that it won’t last.
- Develop a routine. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do – for yourself and your family. Kids thrive on routine. It sets good expectations for how things ought to be. It won’t be perfect, but it will help tremendously if you can setup a routine that’s manageable. Squeeze the chaos just a little bit.
Images from Flickr: jsems, pete90291, olive le basque_64, ed from ohio, soldiersmediacenter, dru!
Great post. Indeed men are facing a new age crisis of their own . It is sad our society tends to downplay the importance of men not only as providers , but also as care-takers ( fathers, husbands, sons etc.) While women had their emancipation , and jumped to the job market, leaving stoves and husbands behind, men got stuck with a double load. It might just be my opinion, but i truly believe that a lot of pressure is being put on the men of the 21st century. Your post is inspirational and motivational and gives men that extra thumbs up.Hang in there guys
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Dear sir, this is madhusudhan from india having a dream to be an entrepreneur in BPO industry. Could you please tell me what steps i should take to go ahead of this dream?
I read something once, “I dream life was nothing but joy, then I woke up and found that there was work to do, so I found joy in the work”
i love this post, only… I think the idea that you must work HARD is from my parents generation. It is the value that I was raised with. The older I get, the more I realize that when I relax, allow, move with ease and a sense of humor… the easier and faster my company grows.
I suggest people look to what is fun, exciting, really juices them up and then pursue it! Then the “work” becomes not work, but something you enjoy.
For example, I was looking for something so I could stay at home with my now four year old daughter. She LOVES bounce houses….I see they are getting really popular. I now have an internet site where we sell them (she loves them all). And we are starting to work with parents (I call them the parentprenuers!) to start their own bounce house rental business. For $6K, they can have a part time business (mostly weekends and evenings) that can quickly grow into a fulltime, stay-at-home-with-the-kids business. It is all inclusive, simple, fun and something the kids can participate in.
My husband and I work together (I LOVE that one of your points was to love your wife!!! That is so key to have a happy marriage). And my daughter LOVES to go with us to set up the inflatables… (she gets to jump on them for a bit).
I love my business, I love my family and I love the life we live!
Christine Hiebel
Christine@passionparent.com
http://www.zerovib.com
Christine – thank you so much for the comment. And congrats on the business success.
I understand your point that “work hard” is something our parents' generation pushed and promoted. And work should be fun. It's a good point to add to the equation. But it's still hard work, whether you enjoy it or not.
manufacturers of inflatable bouncers, jumpers, moonwlks, water slides, bounce houses, inflatables,
great post !
it shows the beautiful way of balancing the work and life by simply setting priorities for family and work.
great post !
it shows the beautiful way of balancing the work and life by simply setting priorities for family and work.