065. 2 Takeaways About Work-Life Balance from My Ladies & Luggage Fall Retreat
I had a blast this past weekend at Ladies and Luggage Travel Club’s Fall Retreat deep off in the Smokey Mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
One of my goals for 2016 was to be more intentional about putting myself on the calendar to foster an ideal state of work-life balance that keeps my wellbeing at the forefront each and every week while balancing my career ambitions and lifestyle. Finding a suitable balance between work and daily living is a challenge that all employees face at some point in their career. The ability to successfully combine work, family commitments and personal desires is important for your well-being. The more people work, the less time they have for other activities, such as personal care or leisure. The amount and quality of leisure time is important for your overall well-being, and can bring additional physical and mental benefits. This past weekend I was reminded of these benefits with two HUGE takeaways from my 3-day getaway in Gatlinburg.
Do the inner work to increase your sense of self-worth.
Friday night we spent time getting to know one another, but we also had a chance to dive deep and really get to know ourselves. What do I mean ourselves? Well, sometimes we wear masks to fit in or hide vulnerabilities. During a unique session called Remove the Mask, we were able to peel back the layers that hinder us from being our most authentic self. Often times past experience play a vital role in daily interactions and decisions, if we don’t take time to come to grips with who we are, accepting our truth we limit our power. We have to be willing to do the inner work necessary to confront our demons to establish a sense of who we are and who we want to be. In order to progress in your career and personal life you have to be willing to do the inner work.
Surround yourself with people who want to see you win!
As you grow in life, personally and professionally, there will be people in your life who get jealous of your success and many who just won’t even understand WHY you have such big ambitions. That’s when you will have to prioritize meeting like-minded women and find new networks to be a part of where you can be supported.
That’s why I joined Ladies & Luggage Travel Club in the first place. Anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. I LIVE for it! This organization is filled women with diverse background who all come together with one common goal, traveling the world creating lifetime memories indulged in fun, joy and laughter. I love to have fun and laugh… a lot. I surround myself with like-minded individuals who give me a sense of belonging and purpose. There’s nothing like getting together with a group of similar minded ladies for a fun evening of laughter and embellishment over libations. By getting together with ladies who go through a lot of your same struggles or work-related experiences as you, you can serve as a support system to keep each other encouraged as well as celebrate your accomplishments. Which is exactly what I did this past weekend. I am a part of a women’s travel club that allows me to bond with other women on a business and sisterhood level.
For most people, juggling the demands of a career and a personal life is an ongoing challenge. Protect your personal time, if you don’t allow yourself pockets of personal time, you’ll become too burned out to fully perform or even appreciate any part of your life. If you want work-life balance put yourself on your calendar, do the inner work and surround yourself with a supportive community. Find a personal interest, hobby, or pastime that allows you the opportunity to decompress, refresh and regroup from the daily stressors of work. For me that’s traveling and fellowship with like-minded women.
