Life Balance During Holidays — What’s That?

This is a re-post of an article I published back in October on my personal blog.  Since many of us in the meetings and events industry struggle during the holidays with balancing our professional schedules with the demands of Holiday celebrations I thought it would be appropriate to share my thoughts on this subject once again!

Its funny about human nature.  We come up with a cool idea, or a new way of looking at things… it appears to put our own lives into perspective… and makes us feel good about ourselves.  Then, embracing our newly found “holy grail,” we write a “self-help” book, teach a seminar, or write a song convinced the rest of the world will see things the way we do.

Some folks have made their fortune in the “self help” arena… I am happy for them!  The rest of us are scratching our head, wondering why no one bought into our magical formula for living life!  Well, if life were that simple we’d all be rich and famous.

Alfred E. Neuman

Remember “Mad Magazine“???  That brilliant magazine, which is still published, always found some way to put a smile on my face.  Satire has its own unique way of fixing the world, as it  helps us to see more clearly the humorously light-hearted side of life.  Alfred E. Neuman, the Mad Magazine mascot, is one of my heroes (tic) in life.  That little guy really knows how to put things into perspective.  And besides, after 50 years, he hasn’t aged a bit!  :)

Frequently I hear people tossing around the statement “You need to find balance in your life.”  So what exactly does this scale look like?  Is it a “one-size-fits-all” device.  Does this magical tool measure every person’s balance the same way?

I think we can learn from our own practices in the business world.  We clearly understand customers are unique and have different operating styles and we tailor our business communications to them.  We need to have the same expectations of ourselves!

Personally I love being with my family and friends during the holidays and at some level that will always be part of my December routine.  Yet I am also in an industry where our business does not stop because of the holidays.  In fact, December is one of the busiest months of the year for us due the “end-of-year” expectations of both our customers and our supplier partners.

Needs are unique with each person so subsequently their balance point is different.  We also live under different realms of responsibility.  Whats appropriate for one person may be completely impossible for another.  For example a devoted father with two young children will usually structure his priorities differently than a dad who is an  ”empty nester.” ( I am somewhere in the middle since my adult son, Michael lives with me)

There is nothing sacred about having a routine… we don’t all have to live in Pleasantville.  Some of us thrive in a world of change, or even chaos.  A business friend of mine, Cindy Novotny,  travels 350 days a year for her job as a motivational speaker.  Cindy is one of the happiest people I know, and yet her life resembles nothing similar to what would be considered “normal” or “mainstream.”  She even wrote a book on this subject, which I highly recommend, “Living With No Balance… And Loving It.”

People are unique creatures, living in their own distinct set of life experiences and realities.  The road to balance can not be measured with any kind of scale.  It is determined by self realization, aligning one’s lifestyle with their heart!  And maybe, just maybe not taking them self too seriously!

How do you view the world around you?  Is there a special technique or practice you employ to keep yourself on track in your life?  Please share it with us as We’d love to learn from you!

Happy Holidays Everyone!