Work-fun balance

Lots of discussions take place in our era about the so-called work-life balance.

Many people consider this the holy grail of our times, so they work really hard to achieve a balance.

It is important to mention here that such a concept regarding balance appeared first almost 20 centuries ago with the phrase "Mens sana in corpore sano," which was used by a Latin poet who tried to promote the concept of "a healthy mind in a healthy body" by highlighting the balance we should aim for in our lives for the ultimate well-being.

That said, it is important to acknowledge that this is not something new or original concept our generation came up with.

Before we proceed to more serious stuff, I have a confession to make. Why not rephrase this to work-fun balance to better separate these 2? It is extremely unfair to compare anything with "life" itself, right? The term "fun" is far less confusing, at least.

So why do so many people keep discussing this concept? Why do they struggle to establish such a balance? What stops them from doing so?

Let's list a couple of unpopular opinions that might be quite helpful to reach closer to such a goal:

# We focus only on one side of the 2

We tend to forget that this concept promotes balancing 2 principles without favoring one over the other. It is a balance.

Too much work or too much fun and vice versa fail the model. Deceiving one of the 2 sides to promote the other also fails the model. This is not balanced after all, right?

# We follow the wrong career path

At some point, we decided to follow a career path mostly for the money or the fame and the recognition that derives from it. The problem mostly lies in the path since it might not suit our personality or talents. Our job doesn't mean that much to us; it is a struggle. There is no joy and no fun in it. Fun means less of this struggle, less effort, less involvement, and less pain. Our career makes us unhappy. Let's not be mistaken; things won't change until we switch careers (not just an employer).

A common example in the tech field is that nowadays, tech helps us make good money compared to many professions or jump between jobs easily, but the million-dollar question here is, "Is tech our actual calling?" Are we in love with technology, or are we here just for the money? If it is not our passion, then fulfillment is out of our reach, and proper balance will never work for us.

# We have yet to face our personal demons

Due to some unfortunate decisions in our personal lives throughout the years, we feel alone and depressed, we struggle to find inner peace, and life feels like an awful and draining experience. Every day is a struggle since we live in a toxic environment that ruins our mental health.

Guess what cannot be accomplished until we figure out our personal matters? Proper balance will not work for us unless we change things by making hard decisions first. If not, the pain will continue, and balance will stay far away from our reach.

A big bravo to all people who fight their personal demons and have found the courage to seek professional help by attending therapy to eventually solve these issues. Younger people handle this way better compared to my generation, and this is a huge step in the right direction, I have to admit. Just not be that harsh to yourself, my dear friends.

# Conclusion

These are some hard-to-admit obstacles we all find in our way while moving toward personal fulfillment and balanced life by balancing work with fun. Most of the time, the solution lies within our heads and our hands, so we absolutely have the power to shift things around.

I have spent hundreds of hours discussing these topics during one-on-one meetings with people throughout my professional journey, and I keep coming to the same conclusion:

we play a pivotal role in finding solutions since we play a significant role in shaping most of our problems

Yes, of course, life sometimes has different plans for us, but hey, our will to find solutions while not sticking to excuses is the holy grail. If not, scapegoats are everywhere. Cheers!!