How to Live Your BEST LIFE Both Personally and Professionally
Posted on November 14, 2019 by Mike Kennedy, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
As a busy business leader do you find it challenging to find balance in your personal life? Here are some strategies that will help.
Most business leaders struggle with the challenge of not just being successful in the corporate world, but being successful in all aspects of their lives. After all, why are you putting in the long, demanding hours unless it ultimately leads to a happy and fulfillng life?
Many successful business executives struggle with one or more of the following areas. If one or more apply to you it may be time for a life/balance tune-up.
- The money is great but I thought I would be happier at this stage of my career. - The time demands of my job are causing major stress at home. - My health/fitness is not where I would like it to be and it is impacting my energy level at work. - If I continue on this path I am definitely at risk for burnout. - To the outside world I appear very successful, I am concerned about the price I am paying.The good news is finding balance and aspiring to live your best life is definitely an achievable goal. Whenever I have questioned myself in this area and thought that career demands precluded ever finding balance, I found inspiration from Barack Obama’s life while president. Regardless of your politics I am sure that most would agree that Obama, while arguably holding down the most powerful job in the world, seemed to find amazing balance. Whether it was photos of him jogging in the morning or spending quality time with Michelle and their daughters, those photos helped me realize that if he could find balance, we all can.
So it is one thing to know finding balance is possible and quite another landing on a plan for achieving it. Here are four strategies to help ensure that you are on the right path.
Health & Fitness – The importance of maintaining good health cannot be overstated. After all, everything in your life, your future goals and dreams, both personally and professionally, are predicated on good health. So give it the priority that it deserves. Book time in your schedule for the fitness endeavour of your choice. Just 30 minutes a day, well invested, can pay huge dividends. Combined, this with healthy eating habits this can be one of the best investments you can make towards future happiness and well-being.
Family – Unfortunately this is the area many business leaders find the most challenging. After all the demands of the job can put major pressure on family time. So what is the answer, especially when a spouse and children are involved? It is no surprise that this challenge can be even more demanding in two career households. There are lots of great strategies that can prove helpful, having family breakfasts together, taking the children to school, making sure you are home before the kids go to bed, family activities on weekends, date nights with your spouse, amongst others. The key is to ensure that the time that you do have is quality time and that you are 100% present. That means no multitasking.
Sharpening the Saw – To my mind Stephen Covey’s most important habit. It has become almost a badge of honour for busy executives to forgo earned vacation. This is shortsighted in a number of ways, not least of all the fact that it will ultimately lead to reduced productivity. In order to keep yourself fresh and maintain perspective you need to take time away from the demands of your business. It doesn’t have to be everyday, but it should be something you enjoy and look forward to, and it should be done regularly. It may be as simple as taking a walk with your kids for an hour every evening – whatever it is that relaxes your mind and feeds your soul. Rather than detracting from your effectiveness, your time off will increase it. And yes take that vacation, both you and your family deserve it.
Learning to Say “No” – Finding balance is all about constantly prioritizing. As a business leader there is always going to be conflicts between personal and professional demands on your time. It is going to require making compromises and decisions daily on what’s most important to you. Former EY CEO – Mark Weinberger tells the story about after a meeting in China being asked if he would be joining employees on the Great Wall to take selfies. His response was that it wouldn’t be possible because he needed to catch a plane to Washington DC in order to take his daughter to her driving test the next day. Recognize that you can’t do everything and be everywhere so a diplomatic no will be an important part of your arsenal and the ability to do so guilt free.
