Being this Christmas holidays at the moment, it’s probably a good time to talk about balance.
I don’t mean trying to stay on our feet with all the excess alcohol, but balancing things like work and play or exercise and rest.
Maybe it’s the general excess of food, drink, rest and play at this time of year that has mad me think about this more than ever.
I seem to have the personality type that needs to accumulate points every day from work, exercise or healthy food before I feel I deserve a rest and can relax.
Although not everyone is like this, many people are and it seems to me that those with entrepreneurial characteristics often share this trait.
I recently started to think more about this balance issue. I’ve always known it was there but until a few days ago have never really nailed down exactly what it was all about. But now I believe I have.
Let me explain the three areas of balance most important to me. If yours are different feel free to leave a comment and share them.
Work and Play
I call it play, because rest falls into a different category for me as you’ll see later. By play I just mean fun stuff which isn’t work related.
The balance between work and play is important for many of us because we don’t feel like we deserve to be having fun until we have earned it though work.
This is great for driving us forward and helps us achieve more in life. Without this need to put work before play it’s can be very difficult to motivate ourselves to do anything productive.
Without it, the lure of TV, games consoles and other forms of entertainment can take over and prevent us from achieving anything other than a new high score.
Good Food and Bad Food
This balance is very important for many of us too. It’s unfortunate that many of the tastiest foods contain salt, bad fats and sugar which are not usually very good for us.
One option is to cut out all bad foods from out lives, but this isn’t realistic, it isn’t pleasant and in my case at least it isn’t going to happen.
So, before we feel we deserve some of that tasty but evil food then we need a little salad and veg first. It kind of takes away the guilt a little when we’re munching on those biscuits.
Exercise and Rest
I find it amazing, the amount of people who don’t undertake any exercise. Apart from walking to and from their cars once a day they’ve never been running, never been walking, never owned a bicycle and never seen the inside of a gym.
For me that’s not an option. Exercise is one of my primary means of accumulating those points so I feel I’ve earned a rest. I only do intense exercise around three times a week, but that’s enough to keep the guilt away, every time I indulge in a little sofa time.
Even being sat down writing this I look outside and feel the urge to go out there, running or walking. I’ve only been lazing around for an hour and it is boxing day (the day after Christmas), but that doesn’t justify it for me. I still need that balance.
Balance and Business Mindset
So you’re probably wondering how this kind of work/play, good/bad food and exercise/rest balance is relevant to your Business Mindset and ability to achieve your goals.
For me at least it’s central and of the utmost importance. Although I didn’t fully realise it until recently it’s my need to achieve these balances that drives everything I do
It gives me the need, desire and ultimately the ability to take on challenges I’d never consider otherwise. working until the early hours for days on end and walking 200 miles across England would never have happened without this need for balance.
Without this kind of personality I might find myself more at peace just sat on the sofa playing console games, but I don’t want that. High scores are not important to me. Achieving something more life changing certainly is.
The gyms will be full of new members in January. It happens every year and it’s no coincidence that it’s just after the Christmas holiday period.
These people are all trying to achieve balance. Maybe we all are, whether we realise it or not.
Anyway, have a great Holiday and a great New Year! Have a good rest, play plenty and eat what you like.
We can always redress the balance in January…
