The W-L balance

It has been close to 5 years since I walked the other path. And recently I came across two articles one by Whitney Johnson & the other by Sidin Vadukut which echoed some innate voices in the grey hills to this article.

The journey of entrepreneurship is no doubt tricky and challenging. And the reasons that drove me into it was a little bit different from what Whitney had to say.

Coming to her bit first; What drives entrepreneurs? At what age that creative force comes into play? Whitney attempts to answer this. She says that as individuals move into a higher realm of self actualization, what she calls ‘Erikson's Seventh developmental stage’, creativity is a psychological urge into higher gratification and not just something ‘nice to do’.

She goes on to add that this emotional ballast stems from a better quality of life fueled by good well paying jobs secured by medical care which is the reasons why age group of entrepreneurs is shifting into the 40 plus years extending 50 plus years category when people venture out into solo or co creation.

True.

But what about this thing called ‘Work-Life’ balance? How many get prompted by this term to take the plunge?

After 16 years of turning wheels in corporate world, I realized that while the wheels were not only turning slowly much against my expectation, life was essentially happening to me than the other way around.

Soon it realized upon me that the term was inverted. It should have been Life-Work balance.

Work equated at the same level of Life is fundamentally flawed & misplaced. Work is a subset of life, a thing we do to sustain life at a monetary and materialistic level. But in the rat race of today’s existence, many people believe that they are two perfectly different worlds that are always at odds with each other and somehow needs to be balanced.

So a typical world spins around the office, its files, meetings & calls 9-to-7 five days a week and what’s left after that essentially makes up life. Those essential mundane things called shopping, home, Bills, school entertainment etc et al.,

What it all boils down to? Making wish lists and simply burning both ends to tick mark one by one. However the problem is that this list never ends and the deficit catching up much like the Govt’s fiscal deficit always perpetuates.

If you can get over with the list and believe in the following quote by Professor Howard Stevenson of Harvard Business School :

“Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.”

Then take the Plunge.

Because at some point in life, and it may be now, work experience and its acquired skill sets will tip the balance. It gives you that bit of confidence to invert the equation

However as an entrepreneur things can get really nasty. So be prepared to read this every morning

“We have done so much, with so little, for so long, that we can now do anything with nothing.”

And finally after all the sweat & toil, and the rough ride through the rabbit hole it may be time to savor what Whitney Johnson adds as a parting shot

‘The urge to create, to generate a life that counts impels people to innovate, even when it's lonely and scary’.