This is a collaboration blog by Erika Del Sordo and Meredith Kimmel, ACC. This blog can also be found at www.TodaysTalkwithErika.com.
I don’t think that it will come as a shock to anyone that I’m a workaholic. I think it is safe to say that Erika is too. However, I have been doing all this work, and not finding much reward or fulfillment with it. I was working but not gaining momentum.
My mentor Coach had me do an exercise called the Wheel of Happiness. This is an exercise that I do with my clients as well. This exercise gives you a visual representation of where you are spending your time.
The exercise is a circle broken into eight distinct categories. Think of a pizza pie and each slice is a different category. The categories include, Career, Family and Friends, Health, Romance, Money, Personal Growth, Physical Environment, and Fun and Recreation. What you do is you color in how much of that slice you devote your time too. In a perfect situation, all the slices would be the same and your Wheel would be in balance.
NOT IN MY CASE.
My Wheel is heavy in Career, Personal Growth, and Money. It lacked in Fun and Recreation and Physical Environment. I decided to color each slice in a different color, so I could easily see how out of balance I am. Instead of looking like a complete circle, my Wheel looks like a piece of abstract art that belongs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Gaining Momentum
Instead of submitting my out of balance Wheel to the Museum of Modern Art, I decided to take stock of my Wheel and I wrote down notes about each category, and how I could take time from the heavy categories and devote that time to the categories where I was lacking, thus creating a balance.
My two most lacking categories are Fun and Recreation and Physical Environment. I needed to change that, so what did I do? I made plans with friends. I went shopping at the mall. I got out of my house. When I was home, I went through drawers and cabinets. I organized them and got rid of junk.
The unexpected thing that occurred is that the word “Momentum” kept showing up in my life. I joined a business development program called, you guessed it, Momentum. I bought a new car, and the package of the car is, you guessed it again, Momentum.
Oh, and my business picked up several new clients.
By taking stock of my Wheel, stepping away from my workaholic nature, and taking time resources away from my business, my hard work started paying off in absolutely huge ways.
Having Balance
Balance is the key to having everything in your life run properly. I was foolishly thinking that if I put every waking moment into my Career, Personal Growth, and Money, I would be more successful and have more money. The opposite actually occurred.
I share this with you, because I’m more successful these last few months than I have been in a very long while. I focused on other areas of my Wheel, areas that I had been restricting because they weren’t income producing. I took hours away from my business and I actually made more money. I think this is what they mean by working smarter not harder.
By finding balance, I gained momentum.
I may need to re-do my Wheel. Although, part of me wants to keep the out of balance Wheel to serve as a reminder not to slide back when work gets busy.
If you need help finding your balance or want me to send you a Wheel of Happiness, email me at [email protected]. We can schedule a coaching session to debrief the Wheel.
I’m going to turn the blog post over to Erika, so she can share her thoughts on momentum and balance.
Erika’s Take On Momentum…
…Is very similar to Meredith’s. I’ve come to realize that maybe I just like to stay busy. Because I too spin my wheels 30 hours a day 18 days a week with not much reward. (I exaggerate for effect.) But what Meredith doesn’t even know at this moment is that all of my hard work and dedication and no play is starting to pay off!
I always tell Meredith that her and I live parallel lives. We really are both workaholics; creative entrepreneurial women who “thought” that working all the time was the way to get ahead. Nope!
I took a weekend off recently and had the idea of a lifetime. I have a brand new business that I’ll be sharing in the next couple of weeks, so be sure to follow me to hear the big announcement! When you go to www.TodaysTalkwithErika.com, you’ll find my social media links and more to connect with me.
You always know you’ve made the right choice when you’re super excited and have wild, inspired energy. I always see inspiring sayings, things like: “Keep going, you never know when the big break is going to happen.” Isn’t that the truth?! Not that this will allow for more play, but in a way it kind of brings play and passion to me. It’ll all make sense soon.
Make Momentum Count
When you set yourself in motion, make sure you have goals. Set out to have that one specific thing you’re working toward. And then don’t stop.
If you’re having trouble finding your momentum, set a goal – if you don’t already have one. This is one of the biggest motivators. It’s the reason to maintain your momentum. Without purpose, of course momentum can slow down.
Now, again, to keep the momentum, you must balance work, play and rest. Balance is key to work and play. Too much play and the reason for your momentum can be flipped all out of proportion. Same goes for rest, but rest is the most necessary.
Let’s talk about sleep for a moment. Any workaholic can raise their hand to not getting enough sleep throughout the week. Burnout goes on the rise. The momentum goes down the drain. Believe it or not, checking out earlier in the evening is the true momentum builder.
So,
- Set a goal, a ‘purpose’ for your Momentum.
- Get enough sleep.
- Remember to have a balanced social life.
- And work your butt off in between.
- Never lose focus.
I don’t usually like using the word never, but in this case it works. Things will change, momentum will have its ups and downs, but your purpose should always be the main target. Now go get it.
