Maybe it isn't about balance. Maybe it's about being intentional with the life we're building.
What's next?
It's a question I've been asking a lot lately, both professionally and personally.
I spend a lot of time with entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders talking about growth, opportunities, challenges and what comes next. It's work I genuinely love.
But I've also been thinking a lot about what we're actually trying to build and how that fits into the rest of our lives.
What does success really look like for us?
Not just professionally, but personally.
The Push and Pull Is Real
I love what I do. I love working with ambitious people, helping businesses grow, solving problems and creating opportunities.
I also love being a Dad. Coaching hockey, showing up for my kids, spending time with family and friends and being present for the moments that matter.
Sometimes those worlds work beautifully together. Other times, not so much.
There are opportunities I could pursue, meetings I could take and hours I could invest that might move things forward professionally.
There are also moments and experiences in my personal life that I don't want to miss.
The reality is that every yes to something is potentially a no to something else.
That's not always easy.
For some, this is a season of building. Long hours, significant sacrifices and a genuine commitment to creating something meaningful.
For others, it might be a season of prioritizing family, relationships or simply having more time for themselves.
For most of us, it's probably a combination of both, depending on what's happening in our lives.
I don't believe there's a right or wrong answer here.
I certainly don't think someone working incredibly hard to build a business should feel guilty about that commitment. Nor should someone choosing to spend more time with family feel like they're somehow falling behind professionally.
We're all navigating different circumstances, priorities and seasons of life.
The challenge is being intentional about the choices we're making and understanding that there are gives and takes along the way.
Maybe It Isn't About Balance
Anyone who knows me, knows I've never been a huge fan of the term work-life balance, I actually think it is BS.
It suggests we're somehow supposed to divide everything into perfectly proportioned pieces. When we can't, we feel like we're getting something wrong.
I prefer to think about integration and intentional living. Our personal and professional lives aren't separate. They influence each other every day.
There are times when our businesses need more from us. Times when our families need more. Times when we need to make some room for ourselves. And, let’s be honest - if we are finding joy in the complete picture we don’t have to separate one from the other.
I don't think the goal is to give everything equal time.
I think the goal is to be intentional about where we invest our time, energy and attention, while finding some joy along the way.
Sometimes that means working late because you're excited about what you're building. Sometimes it means closing the laptop and heading to the rink. Sometimes it means taking a day for yourself or making a sacrifice today because of what you're hoping to create tomorrow.
None of those choices is necessarily better than another.
What matters is understanding why we're making them and whether they're aligned with what we genuinely want.
Whose Definition of Success Are We Chasing?
We live in a world that celebrates achievement.
Growth, revenue, promotions, recognition and bigger opportunities.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. I'm a big believer in ambition, pursuing excellence and pushing ourselves to see what we're capable of.
But I think it's worth asking ourselves a question from time to time.
Are we chasing the life we genuinely want, or the version of success we think we're supposed to want?
Success might mean building a company that employs hundreds of people. It might mean creating financial freedom, having more flexibility, making an impact or being able to coach your kids' hockey team.
It might mean all of those things.
The important part is that we get to define it for ourselves.
Something else I've come to appreciate is that our definition of success can change.
What mattered to us five or ten years ago might not be what matters most today.
That's not necessarily a lack of ambition. It might just be a little more perspective.
Easy on Ourselves. Tough on Our Ego and Excuses.
Here's where I think things get interesting.
We can be incredibly hard on ourselves.
Are we doing enough? Growing fast enough? Spending enough time with the people we love? Making the right decisions?
It doesn't help that we're constantly seeing what everyone else is doing, achieving or experiencing.
The reality is that we rarely see the full picture.
Everyone is navigating their own circumstances, challenges, responsibilities and priorities.
I think we need to be a little easier on ourselves, while being tougher on our ego and excuses.
Easy on ourselves when things don't go according to plan. When we make mistakes, need to reset or realize our priorities have changed.
But tough enough to challenge ourselves when fear, comfort or ego might be getting in the way.
Are we making a conscious choice or avoiding something uncomfortable?
Are we pursuing something because it matters to us or because we think we should?
Are we giving ourselves some grace or simply making an excuse?
I don't think we always need to know the answer. But being willing to ask ourselves those questions is important.
There's a difference between being compassionate with ourselves and letting ourselves off the hook.
Finding Joy Along the Way
One of the challenges of being ambitious is that we're often thinking about what's next.
The next goal, the next opportunity, the next challenge to overcome.
I can certainly be guilty of getting ahead of myself.
Sometimes we're so focused on creating something better that we forget to appreciate what's already pretty incredible.
I don't think we need to choose between being grateful and wanting more.
We can be grateful for where we are and still be excited about where we're going.
We can pursue big goals, work hard, make sacrifices and still enjoy the process.
Some seasons will require more of us than others. Some choices will work out better than others. There will be times when we look back and wish we'd done something differently.
That's life.
I keep coming back to progress over perfection.
We don't need to have everything figured out. We don't need to get every decision right.
We certainly don't need to wait until we've achieved the next milestone to enjoy the life we're living.
There's a lot of life happening between where we are and where we're going.
So, What's Next?
Maybe it's growing your business, preparing for a transition or stepping into a new leadership opportunity.
Maybe it's creating more freedom, spending more time with the people you love or finding a little more joy in what you're already doing.
Whatever it is, I think it's worth taking some time to understand what we're actually working towards.
Not just the professional goals, but the life behind them.
There will always be competing priorities. There will be sacrifices, opportunities and decisions that aren't easy.
We're all trying to figure out some version of this.
I don't think the answer is creating a perfectly balanced life.
I think it's about creating a meaningful one.
Being intentional about our choices, understanding what matters most and giving ourselves permission to enjoy the journey.
Be easy on yourself, but tough on your ego and excuses.
Be grateful for what you have while continuing to pursue what excites you.
Most importantly, don't get so caught up in what's next that you forget to enjoy what's now.
Progress over perfection.
Built for What's Next.
