Balance!

As I sit down to write this, I’m exhausted. I’ve been putting off a huge home project that has needed to be done for years…painting my front porch. Now keep in mind that the porch isn’t just any old porch. It’s about eight feet deep and 35 feet wide with lots of balusters and railings, and a very high ceiling. It’s a classic old house with a classic old porch.

The first thing that I needed to do, before I could even think about a fresh coat of paint, was to wash everything off.  So, out came the pressure washer. And while I was pressure washing for five hours, I had plenty of time to think. And, it occurred to me that I was enjoying my time. 

I was enjoying an unseasonably nice day, listening to the somehow-calming drone of the pressure washer, and thinking about HHC and the success that I’ve achieved.  I was also thinking about how nice it is to not let my job consume my life.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m passionate about what I do, but everyone needs some down time. Everyone needs to work to live, not live to work. Everyone needs balance.

I was thinking too about how a few of my past colleagues were probably sitting in a restaurant or café somewhere working on a laptop.  Or, maybe they were sitting in an airport waiting for their next flight.  Or, maybe they were in the air struggling with limited legroom, reading a SkyMall catalog, and snacking on a tiny bag of some sort of in-flight treat. Regardless of exactly what they were doing, I felt a bit sorry for them.

I’ve been there. I’ve missed ball games, school concerts, holidays, family reunions, church and all sorts of other events. I’ve taken opportunities that required me to be away from home for long stretches of time. And even though it’s not realistic to not miss anything, there were definitely a lot of events that I shouldn’t have missed. I should have realized sooner that life requires balance, and that I can be great at what I do, and be a success without selling my soul to my career or feeling guilty about taking time off. In fact, I should have realized that downtime actually helps me be more motivated and effective when I am working.

And that’s how I got here. That’s how HHC came to be. I decided that I didn’t want to transfer to another state again, or rack up half a million frequent flyer miles, or miss another ball game. That’s how I got balance. And I hope that as I continue to build HHC, I can have a long, balance-filled life helping others achieve balance too.

Next weekend...PAINT.