Work/Life balance is bullshit.

A career occupies the majority of people’s lives.

At least 40 hours a week working, throw in the commute, and add a splash of checking emails out of “normal” office hours.

In today’s 24/7 accessibility, I’m not sure “normal” hours are even a thing.

Balance is very black and white.

You have 1 ton on one side of a balance scale and 1 ton on the other side.

All it takes is 1 gram to throw the balance off.

A consequence of imbalance, especially if you’re struggling to maintain balance, is feeling as if you’ve lost control and a flood of uncertainty.

Life very quickly becomes a mess.

With one side of the scale overpowered by a career, striving for balance is like a T-Rex trying to scratch its own back.

Stop striving for the impossible and instead embrace the idea of equanimity and acceptance.

Equanimity is “a state of mental stability and composure that allows a person to remain calm and open in the face of challenging or distressing situations.”

Acceptance is living in facts, not fantasy, wishing things were different but taking zero action to implement change.

Acceptance says,

“I work over 40 hours a week.”

“It’s incumbent on me to find meaning and fulfillment outside of work.”

“I’m not fulfilled by my work, but I require it to meet my financial obligations.”

When I was released from prison I landed a job at a gym in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

I worked the front desk and was grateful for the job, but it lacked deep meaning and fulfillment or a sense of purpose.

Between the commute and working hours, it was more than 40 hours a week.

I was working on my first book, “Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life After Prison” and I carved out 2 hours every morning before going to the gym to work on it.

Fourteen hours, give or take, every week versus over 40 plus hours for work.

Place those hours on a scale, and work will come crashing down.

But, and this is a big ass “but” those 14 hours gave my life a deep sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment.

Those 14 hours more than offset the lack of meaning from my job; those 2 hours a day filled my life.

When we live a life with a deep sense of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment, we cultivate equanimity. It’s a beautiful and natural by-product.

When we live in equanimity, something incredible occurs:

We learn how to effectively lead ourselves, and when we effectively lead ourselves, we optimize ourselves in our careers and our relationships.

We’re living authentically, prioritizing ourselves, cultivating self-worth, adequacy, and capability.  

We’re crafting our extraordinary lives and setting ourselves for second-half success.

You may not have 2 hours a day, but I guarantee you have one.

And the part of you saying, “How the hell can I craft my dream life in only one hour a day?” is the part of you that’s scared that what you desire is available to you.

Follow that fear; carve out that one hour.

You will transform your life.

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