The term Work-Life Balance is slowly killing us. Choking us really.  Yep, I said it.

Seriously – STOP already. This term Work-Life Balance is combative at its core and feeds the human energy crisis of this hustle culture we’re all trying to navigate.

Let’s create more connection – less DISconnection. This requires intention!

Wellness is important, boundaries are important, balance is important. And guess what, my JOB, my CAREER, it’s PART OF MY LIFE. It’s not separate from my life.

It’s not Work and Life, it’s not work vs. life, it’s LIFE Balance. Period.  I’m not over here talking about my Wife/Life balance, or my Friend/Life balance. So why are we still talking about Work/Life balance?

I am a speaker, a trainer, and an entrepreneur. I’m also an above average wife most days, an exceptional dog mom, a cool aunt, and a fun friend… I have other roles, but you get the idea.

If we are going to connect with each other with more intention (and we should), inspire and empower each other (we should be!), and also inspire the next generation (I hope YOU are), we can do better.

I want career learning, growth, and development to be a part of any job I have. We will spend SO many of our best hours working, it should absolutely contribute to our lives being inspired, fulfilled, and empowered.  Having a job where we can connect to meaning, purpose, and impact is becoming not just a “nice to have,” but a MUST have. “Balance” has taken its place among Compensation and Flexibility as the top 3 priorities of job seekers according to a recent LinkedIn Survey.

Life Balance is less about balance, and more about boundaries. We are so constantly (over) connected, and able to work and play simultaneously, what we need is to honestly and intentionally acknowledge our own boundaries, or lack thereof. Maybe this is a new concept for you, but boundaries aren’t about anyone other than YOU. Think about that. They’re not about other people, they’re about you. We must consider the boundaries we need in our lives in order to be PRESENT with the people we are WITH. Read that again. We can’t blame work for lacking balance in our life if we can’t be mindful of our presence when and where our time and presence are best spent. How often are we actually present in the meeting, activity, dinner, or conversation we’re having? The human energy crisis is real, and while we’re sometimes just hanging on by a thread, it doesn’t have to be that way. Boundaries are acknowledgements of our priorities. 

I’m not here just to survive, I want to THRIVE. And for me to thrive, I want my WORK to be a rewarding part of my LIFE where I find fulfillment. It doesn’t matter how we cut it, work is hard. A job is A JOB, it can be challenging, tedious, and exhausting. It can also be inspiring and empowering, even fun! How about being a mom? Or a child of an aging parent? Or any of the other roles we have? They can be challenging, tedious, exhausting, rewarding, empowering, fun… all in different ways, right?

We’ve got this- Life Balance is building an intentional life. 

I have 3 ‘Stop & Go’s’ for us to gain greater LIFE Balance!

1.        Stop: Glorifying “busy.” We weren’t meant to be human doings, we’re meant to be human beings. Human beings are inspired by the curiosity in connecting, conversing, and collaborating.  Go: Connect, Converse and Collaborate with people who inspire you! 

2.        Stop: Looking for the “easiest” way. Convenience is one thing, (thank you Door Dash), but Instant Gratification only comes from Amazon, (to quote one of my podcast guests)! What I mean is, life isn’t meant to be easy. Doing hard things makes us better human beings. We gain confidence when we do hard things, learn new skills, and gain knowledge. We find fulfillment in our growth by learning, growing, and DOING.  Go: Do something you’ve never done before (that scares you a little) to feel some fulfillment!

3.        Stop: The plague of “Comparisonitis.” Does your life “look good,” to the lookers, or does it feel good to the ones that matter? Remember, comparison is the thief of joy. Human beings are empowered by serving each other, not by muting our authenticity to portray something different or less than who we truly are.  Go: Be authentically YOU. Share your enthusiasm, passions, and motivations with the people you do life with, you’ll feel more empowered! 

Cheers y’all! 

I hope you’ll share this with someone you know who wants to thrive too! 

– Jodi

LIFE: Living Inspired, Fulfilled & Empowered

Inspiration comes from loving other people. Fulfillment comes from serving other people. Empowerment comes from respecting other people.