How Does This Father Balance Work and Home Life?
By David B. Bohl | July 17, 2007 | 2 Responses
Some examples of the way to try to balance work and a home life are: Step back and evaluate, objectively, what’s going on in our lives, define what a balanced life is to us, and find ways to attain the things that we determine are most important to us.
Wendy Piersall, from eMoms at Home, asks “How do Dads balance work and home life?”
Thank you Wendy. We all know that both Moms and Dads struggle with these issues. We also know that women and men are becoming more alike in their attitudes toward balancing life at home and at work.
I read Ben Yoskovitz’s post on the subject with great interest. Ben has recently started a new company at the same time he’s raising a young family. I had done the same thing at an earlier stage in my life.
My children are now older and in college. Certainly balancing my professional life with my personal life has become easier, hasn’t it?
Not so fast. My kids still come home summers and during their breaks. My wife and I still have a life together. I still have interests other than work. I still need to maintain a balance in my life.
So what do I do to balance my life? I still need to consciously:
Live my life with passion and purpose.
Forget about antiquated conventions and societal attitudes.
Finally, I need to take the time to define my values and beliefs, and put them into action by living my strategic lifestyle plan.
After a recent trying day where nothing seemed to go right, and 5:00 PM came and went, my kids called and said they had something that would make me very happy. They had pre-purchased tickets to Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix at the local “Palladium,” a local Renaissance-style dinner theater cinema house. My wife and I were to meet them at The Majestic at 6:30 PM, and we were to trust them. Case closed. 
This was special for several reasons, not the least of which were the facts that:
- I needed to get away from work and my kids knew it,
- We hadn’t spent much family time together this week because my wife was out of town,
- I’m the guy who always sits in a crowded movie theater in front of the kid who kicks the seat in front of him throughout the movie and previews, and whose parents are oblivious to this fact,
- We’ve seen every Harry Potter movie as a family since they debuted when my youngest was 12, and
- My kids took the time, initiative, and action to care about and do something about all of these things.
How cool is it when those that we hold near and dear share our values and beliefs as to what’s important in life?
To achieve balance in my life,I need to keep
things very simple and keep doing them over and over again for them to
be part of my everyday behavior. But I’ve been writing about this very
thing in my Special Reports, E-book, and in my article Is it Possible to Have it All and Do it All?. My simple 3 steps are as follows:
- We step back and objectively look at what’s going on in our lives.
- We define what a balanced life looks like to us.
- We determine what’s most important to us and find ways to attain those things.
It may sound simple, but in its simplicity lies its beauty and effectiveness.
Copyright 2008 David Bohl and SlowDownFast.com. All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Husband, father, friend, Life Coach and Lifestyle Designer David B. Bohl is the creator of Slow Down FAST at www.slowdownfast.com.
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Categories: Values, Relationships, Partners, Mothers, Women, Work-Family Balance, Management Attitudes, Corporate Culture, Your Passion, Work-Life Balance, Men, Life Balance, Daily Living, Couples, Communication, Children, Distractions, Executives, Keep it Simple, Fathers, Families, Expectations, Business Owners/ Self-Employed
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2 Responses to “How Does This Father Balance Work and Home Life?”
Comments
« My Expectations and Outdated Conventions - Could I Have Been Wrong? Happiness through “Taking What You Need” »
July 17th, 2007 at 10:41 am
David,
What a great post. Simple ideas make all the difference.
And I think that simple sometimes make people back away from certain ideas. We have a tendency especially now a days with all the flashy technology to forget that it’s the simple ideas that make all the difference.
Just a quick thought on balance, it sounds like you have a great relationship with your family, and sometimes that is enough to help in those times when we are somewhat out of balance, which can happen when you are starting a new business, running your own business or helping someone in their business.
The relationship you have with your family is also a key to this working.
Here’s to your LifetoSuccess,
John Clark
July 17th, 2007 at 11:46 am
John,
Thanks for the visit, taking the time to share, and for your kind words.
I believe that balance is, and will continue to be, one of our lifetime’s defining issues. I also believe that those who debate it’s meaning are missing the point.
Balance is whatever you define it to be. For me, it’s being careful to avoid extremes. What helps me to avoid those extremes, as you’ve illustrated, is living a life that mirrors as closely as possible my deepest held values and beliefs. When my actions match those convictions, I’m Ok. When they don’t, my family and others close to me help remind me where I need to be.