Beyond Balance is Grace

All right, do you want to hear one of the biggest lies that's ever been told? You can find work life balance, that it's out there, that there's some magic formula that's going to allow you to do just enough work and live just enough life that everything is in balance all the time. All right. So, if you've been around the block once or twice, I'm sure you might be smiling, nodding your head, emphatically that yes, you have discovered that this is a big fat lie. We've been sold as business owners and entrepreneurs that somehow if we find the magic calculation, we will indeed find work life balance. But I want to share something with you that I think is even more important, that beyond this idea of balance, there is the possibility for grace. Beyond balance is grace.

What do I mean by that? When we go one step further, beyond this kind of misconception, of balance being so much work and so much time off. Instead, we decide to really look at how we show up in any given moment, right, how we allow ourselves to be nurtured, supported. In other words, whatever we can do, as entrepreneurs and business owners to create rhythms that are naturally occurring within us, and then supported by the systems and the tools that we surround ourselves with, and the people we surround ourselves with, then we can actually find a place to be in grace.

What is it like to be in grace? Consider a moment when you last exploded, right for maybe seemingly no real apparent reason, you just kind of flew off the handle, you just had it from either an employee or someone in your life or your kids. And you realize the moment after how horrible it felt because you really didn't want that, nobody really wants that. And yet your system was on overload. And it just couldn't take anymore, right? The infamous straw that broke the camel's back. So how do you allow yourself to be more supple, more sinewy, more receptive to letting things go when they really don't serve you to fight? That doesn't mean that everything doesn't deserve some attention, but some things deserve more attention from you than others. And some things truly are more important than others. And when we get ourselves and kind of this fight or flight, feeling in our business, that everything becomes a fire, everything is urgent, everything has to be done right now, we don't give ourselves any space for grace, right?

So, grace can actually look like saying you're sorry, going back to that person you snapped at, or that you were overly demanding to and saying, “You know what, I apologize, I'm having a tough day, and I let that get under my skin, when really it's not important. Let's try and figure out a way to find a solution for this, right?” That's grace. Grace is being able to say yourself, wait a minute, what if this really isn't important? How do you get there? How do you find the solution, and the balance in learning how to come from grace in any given moment, in your life and in your business, right? Because, as I always say, I'm a holistic coach, I see the whole of a human working through their life and business, and those things are affected one by the other. So, why not find a process that allows you to stay in grace?

Grace means accepting not only your own humanity, but the humanity of the people that you work with and serve. And sometimes we screw up. And the swifter we are about admitting that and looking for a resolution that serves everyone involved, the better off we all are. The more ease and comfort you feel as you go through your day. And the more your clients and customers will lean on you to see you as a true leader, and a true support for them and their needs. So, the next time somebody goes spouting off about figuring out their work life balance, you might want to remind them, they might find more peace, if they find their own sense of grace.

Remember, you are the true expert in your business and in your life. Believe in your work and how it is benefiting you and those you serve. Follow your unique life purpose and your success will fall into place. To find out more about how you can work with Oracle and me, Lia Dunlap, visit us at oracleonpurpose.com.