The Day After: Finding Balance

I woke up early. With coffee in hand, I sat at my computer at 5:35 am. Exactly one minute later, at 5:36, the Presidential race was called. If you have read my work or listened to my podcast, it will not surprise you that my candidate did not win.

On a typical election night, I am glued to the TV. As an election junkie, I know more about counties in swing states than I do about state capitals. I organized an election viewing event for our condo community and took a seat as the polls closed in Georgia at 7 pm. At 9 pm I realized I was experiencing what I believe was a panic attack.

It was all too much. 

Everything felt so out of whack, so out of balance. Endless views of the map tell the story – in full color – of just how polarized we are as a country. Flip the channels to find polar opposite views of our country’s politics. And so at 9:30 pm, I left the gathering I had organized and walked back to our condo.

SELF-CARE IS BALANCE

And self-care began. My wife and I watched a favorite show – smart, funny, and sweet. Then my cat was hunting for self-care and found it in my lap. Listening to my cat purr is better than any meditation app I’ve found. I opened my laptop and found my way to our Nonprofit Leadership Lab and our Village of nonprofit leaders from around the world. I scrolled through to find the large and small ‘wins’ that members share. I was touching the work that is so meaningful to me, grateful to our members for their hard work, and grateful for the opportunity to serve them. Another form of self-care for me.

Then I picked up a book I am reading – The Secret of Happiness at Work by Tracy Brower. Tracy is an upcoming podcast guest. Reading her book helped me see something differently. I wasn’t engaging in self-care; I was hunting for balance.

Brower encourages us to discontinue the use of the phrase “work-life balance” and simply strive for balance. She argues that this is a false premise – that work and life are not at odds with one another.

Wow. As an executive coach, I found this quite revelatory. And simple all at the same time. And as a Libra through and through, well you can imagine how it sang out to me. In fact, everything I did after the TV went off illustrated the balance that fuels me – chatting with members of our Leadership Lab, reading a thought-provoking business book, and watching a smart TV show. Sitting on the couch with a purring cat, a snoring dog, and my wife of 43 years.

OUR WORK IS MORE THAN “JUST A JOB”

The “work-life balance” framing presumes that work is “that thing” you put up with until you can then focus on your life. As someone who discovered real meaning and purpose in my work the day I began a career as a nonprofit leader, I understand (as I think most of you do) that work to make the world fairer, more just, and more beautiful gives me life! 

So thanks to Tracy Brower and that damned electoral map, I find myself thinking about balance. Not just in my home and in my life but in our world. I find myself thinking about the lack of balance in this polarized world of ours.

And so I offer two pieces of advice as you recover from election season and get through all the feelings you have about the election and the road ahead.

First, consider joining me for a weeklong workshop starting November 18. It’s a light lift for busy nonprofit leaders. An opportunity to hit pause and work with me to maximize your impact as a leader by being intentional about managing your time to ensure you are creating the kind of balance you all need to be your best selves.

And then my second piece of advice. Saving the best for last…

WE LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Please remember that the balance we need so desperately in our society is found in the nonprofit sector – in the work you do every single day. You can help create balance – righting wrongs, and introducing the beauty of harmony in music or dance to remind us of our common humanity. You remind us that the person next door or halfway across the world is our neighbor. You can use your bully pulpit as a person of faith to remind people that our society is made of families and communities and when these are strong, so too is our country. Regardless of who occupies the White House.

As we all know nonprofits were created to fill gaps that the government could not or should not fill. I know that many of you woke up this morning realizing that you have your work cut out for you and that this will weigh heavily on you in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

As you grapple with that awesome responsibility, this Libra and each and every one of us are hopeful that with your work, advocacy, and visibility, people will ultimately find their way to embracing a shared set of hopes, values, and aspirations – the ultimate antidote to healing this polarized world of ours.

I hope you will take a minute (or two or three) today for yourself. And then as the nonprofit superheroes you are, please move forward with deep conviction and an understanding that embracing balance in your own lives will enable you to help all of us find it in ours.

I continue to commit to being with you every step of the way – as a coach, a vocal advocate, and as your biggest champion.