Michelle Clark Ph. D
416 Douglas Avenue, Suite 205
Ames, IA 50010
515-296-0125
michelle@michelleclarkphd.com

Balancing Achievement and Enjoyment

Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that. Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

There is no perfect, one-size fits all, balance you should be striving for. The best work-life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different lives. However, at the core of an effective work-life balance definition are the concepts of Achievement and Enjoyment, ideas almost deceptive in their simplicity. Achievement and Enjoyment are the front and back of the coin of value in life. You can't have one without the other, no more than you can have a coin with only one side. Trying to live a one sided life is why so many "successful" people are not happy, or not nearly as happy as they should be.