This is the 12th blog of a series, “12 Simple tricks to Success” from Findamentor.com. We reveal one trick each month for you to read and practice so that in 12 months you’ll have developed some habits that can expedite your success. Enjoy!
Just like every trade and profession has its’, “tricks of the trade”, all very successful people have 12 tricks they do, no matter what industry or institution they work in. They do those things consistently. They are important processes that great and successful people follow.
Trick number Twelve:
Find Balance in Life and Give Back
. . . work hard and play hard
My heritage is Polish. My grandfathers and grandmothers homesteaded on the prairies of Western Canada during the Great Depression. It was part of their heritage to work hard and play hard. They broke the land with hand tools and horses, and they enjoyed parties with neighbors sharing an abundance of homemade food and beverages. This upbringing taught me about the rewards of living a balanced life.
Today, people who work many hours often justify it by saying they have to sacrifice fun to get ahead. Our schools promote doing homework to get people in the habit of working long hours. But in reality they are sacrificing balance in life and peace of mind.
Workaholism, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a corporate executive, is as unhealthy as alcoholism. Both affect the people we love in negative ways. We justify working many hours because we worship either the financial rewards or the respect it brings, or we want to escape other parts of our lives. Yet society generally finds it acceptable to be addicted to work. I think a shift in thinking is important if we want peace of mind.
Finding a balance for myself and my family outside of work has been crucial to my effectiveness at work and my peace of mind. Leisure time is a gift that rejuvenates me. It’s something to feel grateful for. After a good rest each evening with some self-reflection and quality time with family, I feel refreshed for work the next day.
After a nice vacation, I feel clear and able to be more effective at work. Breaks during work leave me refreshed for additional work. When I no longer felt like going back to work after a long break, I took it as a hint to begin the process of changing jobs. I want to love the work I do and the service I offer. I hope you do too.
Finding balance in life is not only important to our sense of well being, it allows us time to give something extra to society. If your funds are in short supply (and even if they aren’t), then volunteer somewhere, even if it’s only an hour a year. Give back. If we don’t like to volunteer, we can think of another option. When we give extra, we will be given extra back, someway, somewhere, somehow. It’s the law of attraction. And it fits with the principles of success.
Write ‘I can’ and ‘I will’. Ask questions, find a mentor, build your networks, learn communications techniques, keep your agreements, think in options and choose wisely, write down your goals and desires, declare your rarity, become aware of your fears, get in touch with your positive emotions, keep your books clear and sell well, and most important, go an extra mile—do more than you are paid for. Look for balance in life and give back. When you do these things you will be wealthy no matter how many belongings you acquire!
Thanks for reading!
Mike Garska, FindAMentor.com