Work-life balance…. An uncomfortable ideal
A blog post by William Myles
On Sunday night, November 3rd, 2019
Ok, I know what you’re thinking, another blog post about how to juggle everything like an expert and find time for everything in your life. Well, as most know already deep down, work-life balance is impossible and that might feel uncomfortable.
As a business owner, I know that what I put into my business is what I get out of it. That’s the bottom-line. Success comes from persistence, presence and paying attention. That means that if we want to build a successful business, it’s all consuming. Especially with social media, our personal and professional lines get blurry, we might not know ourselves how to shut off, stop and recharge. When I do stop, I tend to close my eyes, breath and smile (yes, smiling does help to quickly change my mood).
If you’re like me, you’re always thinking of your next move, how to be unique, witty, on brand. It’s Sunday night and I realized that I had a day with my family planned and even some work around the house (like closing the pool!!), but was called out to meet with clients to guide them through a counteroffer for a house they really loved. I took the time to be present with them, explain possibilities, offer advice on next steps and writing up what they decided. Then, met with two sets of clients about their homes and by the time I was done, it was past my kids bedtimes. Came home both energized and exhausted from an unpredictable day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for being busy as most realtors are not (72% of Toronto realtors sold between 0 to 6 houses a year*). At the same time, I do think of the little moments I’m missing with my family like around the dinner table, playing hide and seek or storytime. I must admit, if I do want to make sure I’m present for my little ones, I have to schedule it in my day and tell others that I have a previous appointment scheduled. So, to find balance I make a point to schedule it. That may seem too planned, but it helps.
Most days, I do feel uncomfortable yet positive and ready for my next move. Why is that? It’s because I’m striving for overall success. I say overall because I no longer see failures or deals that fall apart like overwhelmingly negative things - they are part of long-term success. When I started in real estate as a sales representative over 4 years ago, it used to cause me so much anxiety and stress when I had a deal fall apart. When I look back now, I know that I have to empathize with my clients in their unique situation as well as think about how to resolve a situation to move forward. That’s hard to do when you’re stressed out. So, as Rachel Hollis has been preaching recently “feel comfortable with being uncomfortable”.
There’s always a next move, something more to do, a lead to follow, but finding time to think, breath and be realistic with your present time on this earth in all you can do. So, take my advice (or not!), just choose to be uncomfortable a little and be present for the ones you want to be present for in that moment (whether it’s a friend, client or family member).
Stop, breathe, smile :)
Cheers,
William
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* Based on Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) sales statistics from November 2015 to November 2016