The Career and Lifestyle Balance: How to Walk the Tightrope

by Brenda Bigelow

Work-life balance. It's a phrase that has been around since the 1970's and is still the largest source of stress on the planet. I will not dwell too much on the definition of work-life balance as we all experience it every day.

Changes in our society such as: technology, shifting male/female roles, globalization, current economic times and greater awareness of stress on the body, has caused us to take a closer look at our lives and causes of this stress. A perfect analogy of this balance can be seen in the tightrope walker.

"Tightrope walking (or funambulism) is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope usually at a great height. One or more artists perform in front of an audience (a common act in circuses) or as a publicity stunt (often attempting to set location-specific distance or height records). Tightrope walkers sometimes use balancing poles and may perform the feat without a safety net for effect."

Let's break this down "the art of walking along a thin wire" - call this wire life. “Performing in front of an audience” – this could be our children, our significant others or our employers. "Often attempting to set location specific distance records" - call these goals or aspirations.

According to Webster’s these "walkers" sometimes use poles and sometimes they don't use safety nets. If you were personally attempting to walk a tight rope wouldn't you want to have all the help and precautions available? It is the same in our life walk - the more prepared - the easier and less stressed the walk.

I have some ideas as to what we can utilize as the "pole" and what we can utilize as the “safety net”. Balance is the concentration on the core of the body or the “center”. What is your life center – the pole? Your center is totally inside of yourself not outside.

This could be your spirituality or your intellect, this is a personal decision only you can make. But consider what keeps you in "balance" or "centered", bottom line what gives you the ultimate sense of peace. What self-work can you do to help you feel more secure within yourself?

Now let's explore the “safety net” – outside yourself. When you take your “falls” in life, who or what is there to pick you up? Many things can come into play here. Family, friends or a process, exercise, even a hobby can help keep you from “hitting bottom”.

Some individuals must turn to medication, yet another tool totally outside yourself. If you are truly out of balance sometimes doing something for someone else can give you a glimpse of the “net”. Being someone else’s safety net is a sure way to discover a path to your own.

Take a little time to consider what works for you before the wire gets tightened, slackened or raised. Be your own audience and watch as you walk in perfect balance and security holding your pole for stability, knowing that at the worst you are completely safe because you have your safety net in place.