Hi Everyone,
I am on a flight back to Chicago from London, and (as I often do), I am thinking about “BALANCE”. As you know, “balance” is one of my favorite topics. Sometimes I discuss “balance” in the context of understanding all perspectives.  Other times I focus on what I refer to as “life balance” (not simply “work/life balance”, where you are either “working or living”, but “life balance” focusing on balancing what is truly important in your life overall).

I was in London as part of an 8-day trip to Europe for board meetings and several talks in Paris and London. Fortunately, I was able to bring Julie and Daniel with me. So in addition to working on several projects, I had the opportunity to enjoy some wonderful family time, visit many interesting sights, exercise every day, do a lot of great reading, and engage in my daily “self reflection”. Consequently, I feel a great combination of being productive, relaxed, and energized.  The key, of course, is to maintain this “life balance” on an ongoing basis, which, as we know, is never easy to do.

It is “never easy to do”, but as I always remind my students, the key to finding “balance” is ”self-reflection”. I believe that many people who are not balanced haven’t taken the time to truly figure out what they are trying to balance. It is easy to say something is important, but if you don’t spend any time doing it, is it really important, or is it just something nice to say? It clearly takes time to self-reflect. My four favorite words that help the process are “Focus, Discipline, Consistency, and Credibility”. I certainly don’t believe that “life balance” is achievable for me personally if I don’t focus, remain disciplined, and do it consistently. And once I demonstrate to myself that I can do this, I develop credibility with myself, and eventually with others.

Good luck on your own “life balance” journey!!!

I always enjoy receiving your comments and feedback.