Your 168. Harry M. Kraemer, Jr.

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INTRODUCTION: THE MOST IMPORTANT NUMBER

      Most of us have at least a general idea of what we think our lives should look like: the kind of work we do, the quality of our personal relationships, our health and self-care, what we do for fun, what role faith and spirituality play in our lives, and the impact we want to make on our community or even on a global scale. We may want all these things, some of these things, or only a few. It's not about following a formula or a prescription—rather it's about your values being expressed in the way you live.

      The challenge, however, is that certain aspects or components of our lives can overshadow the rest. In some cases, they consume so much of our time, energy, and attention that there is not much time left for the other areas we say are important to us. Maybe our work takes almost all our time because we have convinced ourselves that we should be in constant motion. Maybe we focus so much on a leisure activity or sport that it eats away at the time we say we want to spend with other people—family, friends, and loved ones. Or maybe we don't make our health enough of a priority in terms of time commitment. In other words, there's cognitive dissonance: we say certain things are important to us, but our actions don't match those words. There is a disconnect, and not just for a few days or over the course of a busy week or two. I'm talking about chronic imbalance—that feeling of being constantly short of time and attention, always rushing to get things done, and ending each day exhausted and overwhelmed.

Without question, we're very active, but are we being productive? Or are we moving so fast, we don't even know? And if we don't know, do we just keep moving because we've confused activity and productivity? As the pace of the world accelerates, and technology blurs the lines between work and home, balance can become an elusive goal. Some people think it's impossible. We start out with good intentions but find ourselves sidetracked, distracted, and even out of control.

      To be clear, when I talk about balance, I don't mean work-life balance. If we think about it, that's a confusing concept. The way it is expressed—work-life—seems to indicate a choice that either you're working or you're living. For those of us who work a lot, let's hope work is part of living (if not, we've got a real problem!). We are not just switching from professional to personal, like flipping a switch.

      Our lives are multifaceted. We are involved in our careers, but there's more to our lives than just work. We want our lives to have meaning, to lead what I call a values-based life in which what we do reflects who we are and what matters most to us. For many of us, that includes spending meaningful time with family, friends, and others in our community. We have outside interests and leisure activities that are important to us and help us feel more balanced. Maybe faith or spirituality is important—even at the center of our lives. Most people want to be healthy and pursue some kind of exercise. Just about everyone I talk to would like to get a little more sleep. And if we think about it, we know we're here in this life for a short period of time and would like to make a difference in our community—and maybe in the world.

      These СКАЧАТЬ