Decisions… Decisions…

Each time when our hearts are beating, someone somewhere is probably making a decision. Someone has decided to cook pasta instead of steak. Someone has decided to pick up oranges instead of apples. Someone has decided to wrap under the cozy blanket instead of going outside to play golf. Decisions … Decisions. Still some of us have hard times making decisions, especially life changing decision.

What should I be when I grow up? What would I like to do? I don’t feel like doing my job any more, what would I like to do? Should I major in business or engineering? Should I take physic honor or Chemistry honor?

--courtesy of funderstanding.com

BabyBoo, was making her first big decision the other night. She had to decide on what to take for her electives in eighth grade. She had concluded from her little research that she would need to take Spanish and Intermediate Band so she would be ready for her high school. But, she didn’t want to sacrifice one hour of her sleep time for school.   

In the midst of her confusion, she sought for my advice. I asked her couple questions and derived to the point that she doesn’t really need to take intermediate band if she doesn’t want to go to school earlier. So that was her decision. But before I tucked her in for the night, I left one thought for her, “Please don’t take the easy out, if you believe and know what is the right things for you to do. Sometimes we need to sacrifice in order to be successful.”

The next day I left earlier for my training at work and didn’t get to see her until later that night. She told me that she had decided to take both electives and opted to sleep less. It is funny to know that when we don't know which road to take, we seem to be confused, but once a decision is made. We feel like our burdens are lifted. Similarly, she seemed to feel at ease after making her first big decision. I am very proud of her for making her decision despite knowing that it would be hard for her to have less sleep. 

There are no right or wrong answers for our decisions. It is again a matter of our choices. However, "Sometimes it is the smallest decisions that can change our life forever." --Keri Russell 
 I hope you enjoy this part of my journey looking at decision. I am hoping that whatever decision that we made. It is our own decision. Just like the Chinese proverb, "A wise man makes his own decision, an ignorant man follows public opinion."

Until next stop,
Journey of Life 

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