After having a short break away in Alicante, we feel refreshed and ready to go again. We had a lazy time, laying on the beach in the sun, and that’s exactly what we both needed. The next short break is at the end of July when we are visiting my Sister in France, so something positive to focus on.
I do like planning things in the diary as it gives me a sense of purpose and feels like a reward for doing the work, in-between ‘events’. I am sure, like most of you, there is a need to feel like I am living the best life I can, within the constraints I / we have. For me, at the moment, it’s going away for short breaks on a regular basis.
In the past, other things were prioritised such as football, triathlons, cycling events or competitions, which meant, I did a lot of that without my family but with friends and team mates. That was also my reward for working hard and my respite from work, that we all need from time to time.
The old approach to being successful has changed over the years and I sense that more people want to live life and have fun, rather than just amass more ‘things’ to store away in a bigger house. Working your fingers to the bone is no longer an attractive proposition in any organisation unless there is something, more than money, at the end of it all.
I am happy to travel the world, spending weeks away from my family, as long as we all benefit in some way and I balance things out by spending time at home afterwards. I have sometimes got the balance wrong and said ‘yes” to too much, but, on average, it tends to work out ok.
If I find myself with too much time on my hands, that can also be a problem. I get bored easily which can lead to lethargy and a loss of energy, which can mean nothing gets done. When this does happen, from time to time, I concentrate on simple tasks to achieve. Get a quick win and move on from there. The gym tends to be my saviour, at times, and gives me a sense of satisfaction, post workout!
I wish the quote at the top was easy to achieve, but for most people, it’s a mixed bag. There are some projects or tasks I take on that I absolutely love and there are others that I feel differently about and have to put more effort into getting it right.
What do you do to keep up your momentum / balance your life? How do you get through the tough days?
Here are a few tips that may help:
- Learn to say no (if you can) to the things that don’t inspire you.
- Delegate tasks to others – they may enjoy them
- On a tough day, go for the ‘low hanging fruit’ and build momentum
- Always have something positive to look forward to (Breaks away are my current choice)