If someone is an entrepreneur, s/he is well versed with the term work-life balance. We are living in the 21st century and if someone doesn’t work, s/he will simply perish. The modern world is a rat race where everybody is trying to give his best shot. So, it often becomes difficult to manage work and life equally. In pursuit of balancing both, the weighing scale often dips towards the work side.
Don’t you think that the term “work-life balance” inherently depicts that there is something out of balance in the life of an entrepreneur? The problem is we start seeing work and life as two separate things. “We” are always “we” playing different parts and united by a single cause. Replying and sending thousands of emails defines us, going for a family vacation also defines us in the same way!
Work is something which has no alternative, which has to be done. It fulfils our needs and the competition pushes our boundaries to work and achieve even more. What we are trying to achieve is ultimately for our family only! Now think what will happen if we absorb ourselves in work so much that we completely forget the existence of our loved ones! Well, the final result will be something like they will forget our existence and that will not be their fault at all. The mistake is completely ours. If we think we should balance, we will become more conscious and hence things will really get out of balance. What we need to do is fuse work and life.
Let us explore the reason why we are turning into robots with every passing day!
Consequences of increased competition
We have started working extensively for fulfilling our luxuries and not our needs. Unlike ancient time when family and happiness used to be the priority, nowadays priority seems to be money and fame. We are willing to do everything to reach a higher position or to control the subordinates. One of the bitter truths about entrepreneurship is that competition has turned us into machines who have forgotten the meaning of time. Day in and day out, we have delved ourselves into things which have no relevance except for the fact that they are money banks. When asked we often escape saying “I love my work, it is my passion and life.” Yes, while this is a great choice, it can’t go for long.
Social media and work-life balance
People today can be simply described as “Online outside, offline inside.” Eating, traveling or just relaxing, Whatsapp and Facebook are always on. We feel that we are connected to the world. Chatting gives immense pleasure, isn’t it? And if we are managing chats effectively with our work, we honor ourselves as multitaskers! We indulge ourselves in the online world so much that we forget there is a world existing outside that- the real world which actually loves us.
With more and more online businesses coming into picture, it has become mandatory to be always online. Taking out some time for our family is the utmost important task. So, instead of checking Whatsapp just after waking up, can’t we take some time out to exercise or meditate or just spend some quality time with our family? We need to understand that work and money are not running away anywhere.
So now the question is how can we reclaim the equilibrium?
As an entrepreneur, it is very obvious that we have an urge to do something of our own. No matter how much hard work we need to do, we will just do it. A “9-5 job” isn’t just made for us. Sometimes, an entrepreneur is even proudly described to be someone who is working late at night when the whole world is sleeping. Well, that is no harm if our life is meaningful to us and others surrounding us.
Work can be effectively incorporated in life if we really wish so. Why can’t we free some time to pursue a hobby or to socialise! Why can’t we go out with friends or family in the weekends and enjoy quality time! Can’t we really afford to skip one or two meetings every month to spend time with people who made us what we are today! Sometimes, we may even consider bringing our office at home to be with our loved ones or sometimes bring our children to our office after their school hours. This will surely give a sense of togetherness and the worries of balance and imbalance will just fade away. Even remembering small things like birthdays, anniversaries or some special day of our child can do the magic. Our loved ones understand us and they become happy in small things that we keep doing for them. Well, that should not be taken for granted but never stop doing small things on a regular basis for them. After all the hassles and tiredness, that one “smile” in their face is sure to give the assured contentment and satisfaction.
We should remember that we should not make work our life and we should never consider our life as a job! Work as well as life are integral parts of our existence and need to be fused under one single entity. The ultimate goal of life is to stay happy and this can be achieved only when we will stop seeing work and life as two separate units.
