Lately, life has gotten very complicated both personally and professionally, creating what feels like a perfect storm. Instead of sharing a single recipe for balance, I want to talk about some of the things I’ve done recently. Every hurdle in life has required a different solution, and maybe in sharing mine, you’ll find something that helps you too.
Professionally, I’ve faced a different kind of stress. Two rounds of layoffs drastically cut our team, leaving us with double the workload and half the people. Add a tight budget, limited overtime, and summer vacations pulling folks out on PTO… and you can picture the pressure.
I’ve been pushing myself to learn new systems, keep my team aligned, and plan for future growth. And here’s the crazy part as overwhelming as it all sounds, I love it. Not the part about losing good people, but the challenge of finding solutions.
There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with charging forward during tough times, knowing I had a hand in guiding the team through it. But I also know myself, when I get passionate, I tend to just keep pushing and pushing, until I burn out. It’s a pattern I’ve had to recognize, because it’s not sustainable.
The difference today is that I’m more self-aware. I’ve learned (the hard way) that keeping balance, even when it feels like “one more thing” on the list is what ultimately makes the difference. My advice? Pay attention to the signals you get when you’re running on empty and reflect on what helps you recharge.
Here’s what that looked like for me this week…
- Work trip: I said yes to traveling for work, even though it meant missing my kids’ first day of school. The trip recharged me… new ideas, leadership skills, fresh energy.
- Letting go: To make it work, I had to release my inner control freak. I leaned on family, made arrangements, and trusted my husband to handle the first day. He didn’t do things my way, but his way worked. The kids were fed, happy, and made great memories with their dad.
- Faith: I went to church to recharge my spirit. (I’ll share more on this in another post about choosing small changes instead of striving for perfection.
- Joy: Instead of staying home to clean after my trip, I poured some coffee and went to the outdoor market I’d been wanting to visit for weeks. The house wasn’t spotless… but I spent quality time with my youngest and my mom… and came back with a full heart.
Is balance easy? No… Is there a cost? Yes… But is it worth it? Absolutely.
Balance isn’t about doing everything perfectly, it’s about making conscious choices that fill your tank back up, so you can keep moving forward without running on empty.