CEO’s and Life Balance- Where Are You on the Tree of Life?

Money and time- two of the most sought after items in our adult life. It seems that we are either chasing money or trying to make time. I am re-reading Alan Weiss’s book on Million Dollar Consulting and he says that true wealth is an abundance of discretionary time. The CEO’s that I consult and coach with are doing really well on the earning side of the scale BUT they are bankrupt when it comes to quality alone time, quality time with family and creating deeper meaning in their lives.

No one nears death and says- I need to make one more million! Typically when near the end the focus is on how we lived, how we loved and where we invested time into the meaningful aspects of life. Is the pursuit of money evil? Absolutely not but I think Alan has it right in his book when he talks about the components of wealth being more than just the material. He believes that money is necessary to support lifestyle and trust me he lives an incredible lifestyle!

Steve Jobs wasn’t focused on the money- he was focused on making a difference and because he added value that changed the way we all interact with technology and therefore he created wealth.

The comic of the treehouse of life is to show how we all strive to get to the top of the tree- and the reality of adulthood is that there are all sorts of life situations that need to be navigated.

Here are three statements for you on life balance- answer yes or no to them and see how you are doing:

#1- I have a daily practice that connects me to calm and focuses me on the ‘purpose’ of what I am doing

#2- I make connection to family and friends an equal or higher priority to focusing on the business

#3- I use my success as a vehicle to make a difference and I strive to influence others to live with balanced success

These three statements if answered ‘yes’ provide you with true wealth- the whole enchilada and if answered no, it may be time to

focus on building some life balance strategies.