BALANCE... is it your "four letter word" too?

BALANCE.  It's a dreaded word in my life.  Leah, you need to find balance.  Is this what balance looks like?

Leah, how do you have balance?  Do I have balance by taking time for this?

Leah, you need to make work/life balance a priority.  Is it a priority if I spend my day doing this?

My response to all of these statements has always been, "I'm working on finding balance."  Yeah, right.  As honest as my intentions always were, I was never quite able to strike that "balance" everyone was speaking of... until now... sort of. 

Remember... I'm always a work in progress, so to say that I've figured it all out isn't completely truthful.  I have, however, reframed my thinking and am feeling less overwhelmed, and much, much happier. 

I recently came across an article that talked about managing energy.  This article boldly stated that Work/Life Balance doesn't exist... GASP!  What the article did do for me was shift my thinking in two areas:  (1)  Meaning:  To love what you do and feel like it matters... what can be better than that?  When I look at what I do, I love it.  I love capturing people's lives and knowing that they cherish the images I've taken.  That matters.  (2) Energy Flow is a sense of being so engaged by an activity that you don' t even notice the passage of time... ummm... yup!  Happens to me all the time!  What does this all mean for me?

It means I've shifted my definition of balance.  Instead of balance being a certain number of hours working and a certain number of hours at home... balance is ensuring that I'm spending time doing things that have "meaning" and "energize" me.  Now... along with those original statements on balance, I often get asked... "Leah, how do you do it?  How do you have the energy to accomplish everything?"  Again... I couldn't answer... until now.  I do it because this job actually GIVES me more energy.  It has "meaning" to me... and it "energizes" me.  I don't walk away from a shoot feeling depleted, tired, worn down.  I go home happier and more fulfilled.  It sounds so simple... and it is.  And, I can honestly say... letting go of this notion that I have to have "balance" as it is defined by someone else has been the most freeing of all.  To others, my life may look chaotic, never-ending, and exhausting... to me, it is fulfilling, blessed, and most of all... fun. 

So... I challenge you to find your own definition. Quit letting others tell you what your life should look like.  YOU choose.  Maybe you're like me and find fulfillment (for right now at least) in a very rewarding job... maybe you're not.  Maybe your job/career isn't as fulfilling and so you're going to focus more on activities that have "meaning" and "energize" you... to get you through your work day.  Whatever YOUR balance looks like... remember it is YOURS.

I would LOVE to hear from you!  What does YOUR balance look like?  What makes YOU want to run at top speed, completely filled with joy?