It’s Not About Balance: It’s About Harmony
Earlier this year you probably felt unbalanced. The loss of control, the end of so many plans (goodbye recital; goodbye summer camps!). The expectations of your team and business were loud. You might have felt like you had this huge pile of problems with an enormous amount of factors that were out of your control. In turn, you probably felt more of a need to be in control—and the amount of responsibility was heavy both emotionally and mentally.
When this happened to me, and I felt the weight of this responsibility, I decided to become a champion for harmony. Notice I said “champion” not “gladiator.” What’s the difference? Well, in ancient Rome, Gladiators were lone fighters within the arena. A champion, however, is someone who takes the task along with the responsibility for the outcome. They are determined to see the process all the way through to a result. The champion is the ultimate warrior of support, someone who is committed to finishing the task by any means necessary and guaranteeing that the result meets a high standard. I want to show you how you can become a champion for harmony too.
The Journey Looks Different and That’s OK
The first thing you can do is to have the funeral of what was; come to peace that you’ll need an abundance of “COVID corrections” as the pandemic continues. Acceptance of the current state of events is what’s in your power—let go of everything else. It’s therapeutic! Then, recognize that your mental health is more important now than it ever was. For me, I looked at what we were building inside the studio, as well as the person I needed to be as a leader. I recognized that I was fighting for everything in my life to have “balance,” or equal amounts of my energy—and that was no longer a valid way to operate. I realized that there needed to be some fundamental changes.
If you’ve realized this too, then your work-life expectations need better harmony; it’s time to be that champion for yourself! Your time and energy need to be used where they are able to bring a better harvest to your organization. Instead of your pre-COVID 16-hour days, commit to a harmony-focused 8-hour day with built-in, flexible self-care.
Push the Reset Button with Your Team
Understand that your team needs you to be their champion for harmony too. Uncertain factors and unknown expectations can send them into an anxiety spiral, asking “What are we doing and where do I belong?” You need to reset what moving forward looks like to them, even if you say, “I don’t know what everything is going to look like, but here’s what I do know, and my hope is that you will be on this journey with me.” When you think about why you started your studio in the first place, you may have wanted a safe space for children to be themselves; to express emotions and enjoy learning. I bet you want your team to have the same secure space.
When I pushed the reset button with my team, I knew some people would be on board and others would leave, and that was OK. Part of the reset was letting go of what I could not control, including people and their expectations. This was freeing and gave me a new vigor to walk into my purpose of being. I believe it will do the same for you.