Some say there is no work-life balance any more, just balance. Agreed. It is hard to give your all if you are not really committed. It is hard to build a personal brand if authenticity is not working for you. Your work life tells a story of a person and vice versa. 

In order to know where your balance lies, you need to stop and reflect. Start with 3 questions: 

1. Who are you? 
   
2. Are you in balance with your values? 
   
3. What needs to change in order to do so?

Who are you as a person? Do you still recall yourself in early childhood, under 5 years, without bathing suit in the beach? Running, exploring or scared of the water. This is what you used to be when you were let to be your authentic you. This born temperament is still with you, but you might have done a few compromises to fit into the adult life and the roles in work life. What did you want to become? What was your dream job? The other time we are fantastic at being ourselves is when we become wrinkled. Everything in between is adapting and socialising, which sometimes leads to unhappy work life.

Take time to learn to know your natural born temperament. If f.ex. you would not like to lead people and it feels difficult to you, why should you? You might be a better Specialist. Career is not only ladders. It is about meaningful contribution.

Are you in balance with your values?

Many people in leadership tell me they had not planned a career in leadership roles, somehow it just went that way. Many don't plan ahead or have a clear vision of their mission, purpose or values. Value is a big word, many only think of corporate values. Your personal values are however important for you in order not to waste energy.

Start with the Why in your life. Why defines the reason behind your choices. One way to find your values is to sit down and start listing things that really matter to you. It could be things like: being a good leader, time with family, learning new things, a career, art, music, freedom, reading, money, boating or fast cars. Then prioritise, what are the most important things. Then look at your daily life, do these important things appear on your daily or weekly list? And if other people are involved, how does it affect them? If your values are not visible in your ordinary life, it would seem that you are not in balance with your values. Feeling tired, exhausted, angry, disappointed?

What needs to change?

Look at your daily, weekly and annual choices. Are you living a good life in balance with the things that matter to you? If not, start thinking about what needs to change. What can you do? What needs to be done?

Build a personal plan. Maybe a career mission or a mission in life, a purpose. Then start formulating the goals and list what needs to change in order for you to reach your goals. It doesn't have to be big things, we are all different in our wants and needs. But it should be things that you can realistically within a specific time frame and without drastic consequences be able to change for the good in your life.

I've taken the pledge of being more authentic. This has lead to the better in all aspects of my life. Your work tells a story of a person and vice versa.

What about you?