| As a woman entrepreneur who travels a lot
for work, I know it's hard to balance work and life. Because I travel so much, I
constantly find myself watching the behavior of other people. The variety of personalities
always astounds me.
During a recent two week stint where I spoke at five
different engagements in 4 different states, I couldn't help but zero in on individuals
who couldn't sit still.
Cell phone and impassioned discussions with work
counterparts fill the air as the talkers stride down the airport halls. I've heard
individuals have cell phone conversations in bathroom stalls, along the street and during
their grocery shopping excursions. I swear competitions will evolve around who has the
fastest draw off the belt in answering that urgent ring.
Here Are My Two Important Questions For You to
Answer:
1. Do we really have to be that available?
2. What happened to "down" time?
During the fourteen day tour of bookings, other work
surfaced. Now faced with handling the keynote and training sessions as well as those
business items piling up at home, stress continued to mount.
How did I know I was stressed?
I woke up at 3:00 AM five nights in a row to make sure I
hadn't over slept the 6 AM wake-up call. No peaceful rest for me... there was business to
attend to!
Is Your Desire to Succeed Harming Your Health?
Our need to succeed and be perceived as competent,
efficient and effective often interferes with our duty to take care of our bodies, minds
and families. In fact, Fast Company's magazine recently cited research indication that
only 1 out of 10 people would actually change their lifestyle if they knew they were going
to die without the making the necessary changes.
For example, a good friend of mine, Jake, recently suffered
a severe heart attack. He was healthy one moment and in the hospital the next. When the
physician told him to take six weeks off work, Jake's immediate response was "I
can't! The backlog of work will be too much and probably give me another heart attack from
the stress of playing catch up!" The physician, with obvious misgivings, shortened
the recovery period to two weeks and included strict dietary instructions.
He was making the conscious choice to put his work over his
own health. Now what are you committed to?
Here Are 8 Commitments To Help You Achieve A Positive
Lifestyle Today:
1. Take inventory of what makes you genuinely happy. As you
list each item, evaluate what you do every day to ensure that joy remains solidly in your
life. Also list things you do that jeopardize your ability to be happy. Sometimes we are
our own worst enemies and don't even know it.
2. Be accountable for the decisions you make. Every time
you say "just a minute while I finish these e-mails" and you end up missing
dinner with your spouse, understand you chose to stay "plugged in" to the
business. It doesn't control you...you control your choices.
3. Learn to turn off the phone. Voice mail was created for
a reason. Use it wisely.
4. Laugh at the absurdities that otherwise contribute to
your stress level. A young lady in shorts, sitting next to me at the airport terminal, was
the recent victim of a walk-by sneezing. Another passenger inadvertently spit on her leg
in his convulsion. He ambled on oblivious. She, however, quietly dug in her purse and
pulled out a tissue. She wiped her leg, careful to shield her actions from others...
Except I caught her eye and we both howled with laughter. Bless her heart, she showed
class in an awkward situation and exemplified the statement "Stuff happens...deal
with it!"
5. Learn to say "NO" with love and affection.
Only you know what your priorities and life goals are. Evaluate what others ask you to do,
and then determine your response in terms of how it interfaces with your plans.
6. Find out how your behaviors affect the ones you love
most. Sometimes a mirror held up before us can tell us more than what our mind eye chooses
to rationalize. It may not be pretty, but at least you will have an honest starting point
on which to make your lifestyle decisions.
7. Handle your business tasks correctly the first time you
deal with them. Quite frequently I consult with clients who feel like the rats in the race
are winning. They are overwhelmed by the volume of work they deal with so they do the same
tasks over and over again. My advice is simple - slow down and check twice. Not a bad
motto to live by.
8. Balance your high-tech and low-tech mentality. Using
email exclusively only broadens the distance between us and our clients. Find ways to make
your contact personal. A warm voice over the phone or a quick face to face visit can go a
long way to cement a relationship. I've learned that it's the eyes, body language, and
tone of voice that speaks volumes – imparting information that e-mail could never
provide.
We have to define how far we are willing to push ourselves
before we damage the positive aspects of our lives that give us true satisfaction and joy.
It's my choice. It's your choice... business as usual or
live your life like you mean it. Choose well. If your choice is to live your life then
check out my new book, "Hitting Our Stride: Women, Work and What Matters" at
www.karel.com |
