Balancing Work With Purpose

by Samantha ScottJul 9, 2018

In the professional world, most people feel at one point or another that their work-life balance isn’t it’s best, or maybe is even non-existent. Emails, phone calls, crises, projects, and other work-related subjects can feel like too much for anyone, from entry level employees all the way up to the CEO.

So if everyone at all levels experiences this, what’s the real problem? This phenomenon must be explainable since it happens to us all across the board of seniority and experience.

In her article here, Carol Tuttle suggests that there are reasons beyond our duties that play into a work-life imbalance.

“But whatever imbalance you see in your outer world is actually happening on a deeper level. In other words, if the outer events of your life feel overwhelming, that’s a sign that you’re living out of balance on the inside. Fix that and the rest will follow.”
–Carol Tuttle

Tuttle even has a process to help fix the inner imbalance all of us can experience. She recommends taking a deep breath and remembering three big reasons why we’re all here, and how we find meaning in life:

Lessons to learn
Experiences to have
Service to give

What she’s suggesting is that it all boils down to these three things in life. Since we spend so much of our lives at work, why shouldn’t these things become involved in our jobs? She recommends that finding ways to integrate these three points into work will make us feel more fulfilled, less overwhelmed, and more balanced with our lives both in and outside of work.

Consider what lessons you have to learn from your job. How can you become both better at your role, and better in who you are through your experiences at work?

Think about the experiences you’ve already had, and the ones you want to have. This could mean building up a skill, fostering relationships, or obtaining a certification. You can enrich your life experience through work in these ways, as well as many more.

Finally, truly consider what services you bring to this world and how you can integrate those into your life at work. This could be participating in or even organizing a fundraiser within your workplace. It could even be something smaller, like realizing that your knack for empathy can be used to help others in your office. Maybe you’re a great organizer, so you can use that to help the workflow in your office. Your service doesn’t have to be over the top: it can be as simple as using a strength of yours to help someone else at work.

Image retrieved from Pexels under the public domain

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