IN THE RING OF LIFE: A BALANCE BETWEEN FAMILY & WORK LIFE

Family is important. Whether one is considering the family from the nuclear or extended scope, there is an undeniable vital role members of the unit play in the lives of each other in the journey of life. According to Ooms and Preister (1988), a family refers to two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Families exist to support, love and care for one another in the family. They also provide security, a sense of belonging, avenues for open communication and make each person within the family feel important, valued, respected and esteemed. Every individual on earth can be traced to an ancestral root whose members are his or her family; thus, no living mortal is an Island.

As young members of a family age, their roles and responsibilities change. There are higher expectations of them especially as they mature and start their own families. One key aspect of such expectations is one's work or career and how it affects their family life. It is therefore essential to develop a balanced work and family life to avoid causing inconveniences to oneself and the family as a whole. Here are some helpful ways to keep a good balance of work and family life.

1. As much as practicable, prioritise your family. Understandably, no well-functioning individual will refuse to work or develop a career especially when there is a family or dependants to cater for. However, it is essential to put your family first as often as practicable because quite often, the sacrifices made to keep a well-paid job or career is to enable the individual provide a comfortable life for the family. It will therefore be unfortunate to end up being absent with the family in favour of a job or career when the family is to benefit from the efforts being made at the work place. Continuously being absent from significant events in the lives of your family may be interpreted as ignoring them, considering them as irrelevant or not caring enough. Be mindful that supportive and responsible family life is far impactful than providing financial resources only.

2. Create routines for breaks or family rituals. Fortunately, every career or job leaves some room for time-off work. This may be in the form of leave or days off. Interestingly, some businesses offer to pay their workers who decide not to take the time off thus some individuals may work for decades without ever taking any breaks. Clearly, this practice is unhealthy as it may deprive you of spending quality time with the family. As a family, you may plan certain bonding times and ritual activities such as night-outs, game times, vacations, retreats or picnics. This provides the platform to engage one another, communicate on pertinent issues, have fun, relax and plan for your lives and fellowship as one unit with shared goals, values and purpose.

3. Take care of yourself. Frequently, individuals get very engrossed with work such that they neglect their health. Regular health checks, exercise, sleep, rest as well as healthy eating and lifestyle are key in ensuring that one is in sound mental, physical, emotional and psychological health. Taking care of yourself is your way of saving yourself from physical breakdowns, stress, anxiety, depression, other mental health disorders and chronic health conditions. If you do not give your body enough rest for rejuvenation, your system may just shut down.

4. Cultivate a savings culture for a rainy day. A usual trend in family life versus work pattern is that the more income one earns, the higher the responsibilities. Sometimes it is impossible to keep up with the ever rising demands as a family person. Still, there must be a careful and consistent effort to set some money aside as savings for a rainy day. This amount does not necessarily have to be a lump sum. A regular amount that would not put undue strain on you is a plan. Save at a pace convenient to you. There is no guarantee that an employer will keep you in a business until your retirement irrespective of how effective and efficient you may be. You must therefore brace yourself by preparing some financial relief in case of any unplanned eventuality to avoid extreme negative responses or shock when such situations occur.

5. Remember that you are not indispensable. Work or Career life is unpredictable because humanity itself is same. Life situations can change in a split second to alter the course of one’s existence for a lifetime. Repeatedly, there is the tendency to feel safe and comfortable such that you lose sight of the probability that you could be out of work at any point. This is a reality that you need to remind yourself of occasionally as a worker or career person. This in no way implies that one should work half-heartedly. On the contrary, one ought to work diligently but must periodically reflect on the reality that you are not indispensable at the workplace. Therefore, you must build a well-balanced scale between your work and family life to avoid crossing the boundary where you may obscure the significance of the other which may negatively affect you, the family and employer in the long term.

For young people starting their own families, it is especially crucial to bond with your partner and children as they will eventually outgrow you. The inability to develop a strong foundation with them may equate to a lasting gap and regret between you and them in their adult age. Also, any partner who faces emotional and psychological neglect caused by a spouse chasing a career may risk experiencing turmoil in the relationship.

It is quite common to make excuses or give somewhat valid reasons why you would choose your career or work over family. However, you must err on the side of caution because your family will be a part of your life for a lifetime while your work or career will only last for a period of your life. Also, you must always remember that you can change your work or career based on prevailing circumstances however regardless of the circumstances you face, your family remains an unchangeable part of you.

Clearly, you need a well-paid job or career to meet your needs as well as that of your family. You MUST, therefore, work HARD! Still, know that your employer is only paying you to work for his or her business but you alone can pay yourself to work for your business, that is your family. Let your work count positively to keep your business thriving at all times.