Diana Stirling: Owner of three businesses, a 2011 recipient of BIV’s Forty under 40 award and she speaks and writes on the value of imbalance at PretirementLiving.com
I don’t believe work-life balance exists. Work, family and living constantly overlap and intermingle. We can’t erect boundaries between them and try to slot each into some sort of formula like 1 unit family + 1 unit work +1 unit of living = balance. My solution has been to take a different perspective. My goal is fulfilment – across all aspects of my life. That creates imbalance, practically all the time. By embracing the imbalance my businesses have soared, I’ve been able to introduce my children to eight countries in three years – spending 30% of each year traveling and experiencing new cultures.
My belief is we should look at life like a pitcher to be filled. How the pitcher gets filled changes day to day, and we don’t have total control over how it gets filled. If one day, life hands you a few cups of family, a few cups of living and only a shot glass of career then you should take that and embrace it. Live in that moment.
Then, when life hands you almost a pitcherful of business because you have a huge project you’re closing, and only a thimble of family, embrace that.
Once we stop pressuring each other to create a life full of equal parts of career, family and life, and welcome imbalance, our pitchers will fill up with the amazing life moments – whatever they may be.
Continually striving for imbalance is when you stop placing limits on each element of your life and truly achieve fulfilment.
