What role do you expect your work to play in your life? If your whole life was a pie, and one slice was called “work”, how big is that slice right now? And what are the other slices called? When you look at your pie of life, are the slices how you’d like them to be?
I recently re-drew my own pie and noticed that the slice called “physical fitness” had shrunk in comparison to the slice called “watching the television”. Looking at the whole of my life in this way meant that I could make sensible, implementable choices and avoid the classic trap of trying to do “more of” one thing without making the necessary and corresponding “less of” adjustment elsewhere.
A well-balance pie probably has slices that cover a range of areas of your life including:
- Work
- Continuous learning
- Family
- Friends and social life
- Health and physical fitness
- Spirituality
- Rest and relaxation/hobbies
- Money
When you are facing any kind of personal challenge can be a great time to re-evaluate your pie. If the news of an impending redundancy has hit you particularly hard, then you might notice that the slice called “work” is disproportionately large compared to other slices, and you may be fearing the implications when this slice is removed and the rest of the pie collapses. Do you remember the old saying “when you die, no-one goes to their grave saying ‘I wish I spent more time at work’ “? So how would you like to re-draw your pie while you’ve got the opportunity? What slices do you want to enlarge? What slices will reduce correspondingly? Is there a slice that has been neglected and needs to be added in? If so, what will go to make room for it?
The nice this about the pie of life is that you can re-bake it as often as you like. Just remember that the most wholesome, nutritious pie is a well-balanced pie.
Leading For Transformation 