Balance is a key we are all looking for in our personal and business lives, and many of us look for answers or systems that can help us to achieve it.  I see the answer for many is not just a simple restructuring of how things are done or how decisions are made.  The answer becomes possible when we look within ourselves at the emotional reasons lack of balance occurs.

Balance is always disrupted by obsession or addiction.  Many “drugs of choice” show up in our lives that are socially acceptable but disrupt the quality of life.  One huge socially accepted addiction is workaholism.  It’s passed off with less condemning descriptions such as: having a good work ethic, being driven, being focused, or being goal oriented.

The rubber meets the road when one assesses whether personal relationships with friends and family are diminishing as a result of one’s “work ethic.”  Then work has fallen into the same realm as booze, or drugs, it has become more important than the things that matter.

As Family First Entrepreneurs we don’t have the freedom to shut off life while we build something.  It is our duty to our family to make adjustments in our plan to include the logistics of staying involved while we build. The consequence may be that profits, or growth come slower, but that is what we and the team we work with must accept.

The other alternative it to continue driving hard and continue forgetting the people we love and hope that what matters doesn’t crumble while we obsess.  Most likely personal contentedness will eventually fall away, work will suffer, and there is a good chance that “what matters” will tire and drift away.  As a committed family man, it’s not worth the gamble for me.

Assess your current strategy. Look at demands on your time as well as on your emotional and physical resources.  If there is need for an adjustment, put a plan to work to create more balance.  It’s all about choices.  The clock of life is ticking and time is too precious to give away especially when children and family are involved.  Make your adjustments today.