This question is not a new one. It’s been around for generations and will be here long after we’ve tried to figure it out. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but over the next few week, I want to suggest a few steps that may help bring your life back in balance in these four areas: family (relationships), work, church and play (recreation).

The first place we have to start is with our beliefs. Actions steps will only be effective if we have the right convictions in place. It’s hard to act right when we’re not thinking right.

Truth: Family, work, church and play are not enemies.

A wise church pastor once told me, “Home, work and church are LIFE, now learn to lead a balanced life.” Of course, work can detract from our family lives, and vice versa. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Actually, our work lives can enrich our family lives, and vice versa.

In fact, some scholars in the area of social sciences, such as Rothbard (2001), suggest that a greater number of role commitments actually provides benefits to individuals instead of detracting from them. For example, income, social support from co-workers, job autonomy, a sense of accomplishment and more (which often come from work) can positively influence your life. Therefore, it stands that work and the rest of life (such as family) do not necessarily have to be at odds with one another. On the contrary, they can serve the same purpose - a more enriched life.

Once you stop thinking that each one robs the other, you can start to appreciate the different components of your life as necessary for you to have an enriched lives.

For example, that perspective helped me to stop resenting church activity that sometimes required me to sacrifice some family time or late nights having to work when all I wanted to do was relax. I saw the four areas of my life as friends, helping each other to facilitate the fullness of life that God wants for me, not enemies fighting for my time.

Rothbard, N. P. (2001). Enriching or depleting? The dynamics of engagement in work and family roles. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46, 655–684. 

If you want more advice related to leadership, then check out our eBook Become A Transformational Leader. It is packed full of great knowledge that will help you grow toward your full leadership potential.