Have you ever heard of a work-life balance? It’s a term coined in the 1970s to describe the balance between work and other aspects of life. These other aspects may include personal interests, time with friends/family, leisure activities, and more.
Now, achieving a healthy work-life balance is important and will vary from person to person. Too much emphasis in any one area may begin to outweigh the other areas in life that bring you happiness. The important thing is to find what brings you happiness and balance as you see fit.
With that in mind, it’s important to consider the level of fulfillment you feel at work. Are you excited for work everyday or anxiously waiting for the weekend? If you find yourself in the latter, there’s a good chance you aren’t finding fulfillment and need to reconsider your options. Only by finding work that you truly love, will you realize the truth about a work-life balance.
The Four Pillars of Happiness
It’s difficult to say, with exact certainty, what leads an individual to pure happiness. A brief search on Google presents anywhere between 4 and 8 pillars, each claiming different aspects to consider. With that said, I’d like to present the 4 pillars of happiness I find most important and how you can start making improvements in your life.
1. Health
Health is of vital importance when establishing a healthy work-life balance. To perform well in other areas of life, you need proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and overall vitality to overcome the obstacles in life. Poor health will not only compromise results, but even shorten your lifespan.
Let’s take for instance someone who works extremely hard, earns millions of dollars a year, but neglects their health. They may get along fine for a number of years, but the imbalance will eventually lead to a number of consequences. This could take the form of obesity, disease, injuries, and other complications evident of poor health. What’s the point of earning millions of dollars a year if you don’t have the health to enjoy it?
Budget time everyday dedicated to health improvement. Go to the gym, go for a walk, eat healthy meals, get proper sleep, and lower your stress. Anything you do will not only pay off now, but continue on into the future.
2. Wealth
There are a number of negative quotes in regards to creating wealth. “Money is the root of all evil”, “money can’t buy happiness”, and many more. Now, while I do believe that one should not focus on money alone, I believe wealth creation can be of great benefit. The wealthy generally realize less financial stress, financial independence, and the opportunity to give back. After all, money is completely inanimate but can be seen as an amplification of an individuals core values.
For example, there are countless stories of people who win the lottery, only to lose it all a few years later. Poor spending habits, addictions, and many other issues eventually lead to bankruptcy. I see this as an issue of poor financial literacy and completely preventable.
My advice is to decide why you want to be wealthy, outside of money alone. Do you want to live in a certain city, provide a good education for your children, start your own business, donate to charity, or simply achieve financial independence? By placing a healthy focus on wealth creation you will find happiness in achieving your goals and helping others.
3. Relationships
Relationships are another vital aspect to establishing a healthy work-life balance. Positive relationships are proven to help you live longer, lower stress, fight off sickness/disease, and fend off depression. Negative relationships can be equally damaging, so choose your friends wisely.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to the relationships we have with others. What’s the point of millions of dollars if there’s no one there to share it with? Friends, family, and colleagues provide laughter, love, support, and joy throughout your whole life. Would you rather be surrounded by money on your death bed or the comfort of loving friends and family?…seems like a simple answer to me.
4. Purpose
What’s your purpose in life? It’s a tough question, one that’s not easily answered by most people. Health, wealth, and relationships are great, but without a purpose, you may feel lost. How can you live a happy, fulfilling life when you wander aimlessly?
Nearly 70% of the population feels disengaged at work and I believe that to stem from a lack of purpose. If you find yourself among the 70%, I recommend carving time in for your pursuit of purpose. This can take time, but once discovered, can become a regular part of your life and result in greater levels of wealth and happiness.
The Truth About a Work-Life Balance
To achieve pure happiness in life, you must consider the 4 pillars of health, wealth, relationships, and purpose. If any of these become far off balance, you may suffer the undesired consequences. With that said, I want to touch on the interesting truth about work-life balance once you’ve discovered your purpose.
Most people have clear division of a work-life balance, work 9 – 5 (or more) and you’re done for the day. However, those who are fueled by passion and purpose will have less need for division in their lives. For example, I work my regular day job and find that fulfilling, but I would not consider it my purpose in life. I work the necessary hours and when I’m free in the evenings/weekends, I work on this website.
I’ve found that working on my site is much more enjoyable and fulfilling because it fulfills my purpose of bringing value to readers about online business and financial literacy. When I begin working on my website full time, the work-life balance will begin to blur the lines. I will no longer need that clear separation, but will find great enjoyment in my work at any time of the day or night. Balance is always necessary, but work will no longer be a chore, but something I look forward to at any time of the day.
In closing, it is vital to carve out time for each of the 4 pillars. Focus on your health, work towards greater wealth, build lasting relationship with friends and family, and pursue your purpose in life with great intent. What are your thoughts, are you finding balance and purpose in life? Leave a comment below!
