Balance

The expression "Work–life balance" was first used in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life.^[5] In the United States, this phrase was first used in 1986. -- cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work%E2%80%93life_balance

Interesting. I think it became popular in the last decade or so, probably the same time when I have our children. Before the kids,  we only needed to balance between work and us. I remember visiting my hubby at his office after done with my work. I would buy dinners then we ate together at his office. He would continue his work and I would go on practicing my piano at the company’s lounge. Finally when I was ready to retire, I would pull couple chairs together and crushed there accompanying him in my spirit while I was dozing away.  –That was how I balanced my work and life, pretty simple right?

The equation of balancing became a lot harder when the kids come along, not one but two.  For years, I wondered if there was such thing as balance. I wanted career. I wanted to move up in the corporate ladder. I wanted to be there for my girls. I wanted my girls to attend girl scout, to learn that, to learn this. How about all of those things that I used to have and I still want them? How about my relationship with my hubby?– Before I knew it, I was overwhelmed and finding myself off balanced.

As a girl who grew up in a family biz of selling jewelry. My parents used scale as part of their day to day life. I loved playing with the scale. To me, it was like a guessing game. How much this bracelet weighed, or that necklace. Weighing itself is an art of balance. In order to find the right weight, I needed to find the exact troy weights to balance out the necklace, only then I could learn the necklace’s weight.  Imagine this, let’s say the necklace weighed 28 grams (about one once) –I know pretty heavy huh? Let’s use that for simplicity.

To find the weight, I could simply find the largest troy weight such as:

-          one 25 grams and keep adding smaller troy weights and finally arrive at 28 grams

o    or placing several smaller troy weights and using those combinations I may eventually derive at one of the following possible combinations.

-          two 10 gram, one 5 grams, one 3 grams, one 1 gram –or I could find?

-          one 15 gram, one 10 gram, one 2 gram, one 1 gram.and so on –Are you with me?

--courtesy of ioffer.com

Just like when I was learning how to find the right weight thru the scale by balancing the necklace with the troy weights. I also need to find all of the things in my life that would equal to the amount of time and energy that I have so I could end up staying balance instead of tilting downward on one side.Balance is about making choices, which one to keep, which one to let go.

--courtesy of 123rf.com

 

I hope you enjoy this part of my journey in finding work-life balance as much as I was struggling to find one. Before you go, I want to leave you something to take away, “Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.  Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.”   – Betsy Jacobson

Until next stop,
Journey of Life