I’ve been seeing a lot of articles lately on the topic of work-life balance. Most of them state that the term is outdated and inaccurate. I agree. For the past decade, I’ve used the term work-life harmony to better describe the interplay between the two. Others talk about a rhythmic relationship. Both harmony and rhythm are infinitely better choices, but today, something struck me:
We only have one life.
During our one life we work, we play, we interact with our families and friends, we share intimate moments with our significant others, and much more. But it’s all occurring in the context of our one life.
It seems to me that our focus should be on living an integrated life, regardless of what we’re doing. Who I am at home or at play or at work should be the same. If my values are consistent, if I live by the same code wherever I am, then I can be freed from the silos named “work” and “life.” I’m living my one life, with integrity, wherever I’m at.
From this perspective, we’re no longer trying to harmonize the artificial categories of work and life, one with the other, but rather we’re working to make sure that our one life is in harmony with our values and the code by which we live.