Work life balance is a flawed concept. I don’t know a single successful person who feels like they have mastered the equation. Yet the myth of the perfectly balanced life haunts us. We know what it looks like: reasonable work hours, time for exercise and family, no late night project deadline scrambles, no checking email at 3 a.m., no propping yourself up with caffeine, no ruminating about work when you’re supposed to be “relaxing.” We know exactly what perfect work life balance is supposed to look like; we just don’t know anyone who actually does it. The reality is if you want a meaningful career and a meaningful personal life, they’re going to bleed into each other. Constantly. The concept of work-life balance sets you up for failure because it suggests that your work is on one side of the equation and your life is on the other. They’re like two opposing forces that must be carefully weighed against each other at all times. In this scenario balance is always precarious, because you’re trying to parcel yourself out in the right proportions. And we wonder why we’re going nuts. You don’t have a work life and a personal life, you just have one life, yours. There is no magic math formula for creating a perfect life. The key to making your one and only life richer isn’t about maintaining proper balance; it’s about creating congruence. It’s about living a life doing work that connects with the essence of who you really are. Each of us has a contribution to make. When your work is in alignment with your skills and talents, it doesn’t take away from your life. It adds to it. I’ve had times http://www.mcleodandmore.com/2014/07/01/why-work-life-balance-is-a-flawed-concept-and-what-to-do-instead/