It’s a new year, with many resolution-focused messages centered on life balance. It’s inevitable that as lives get busier, a major hurdle becomes finding the tools that help us live life in balance. But one thing I’d like to remember during the quest for balance is the value my life gains in times of chaos:
Without the chaos of early motherhood, I would not have a family. Without the chaos of starting a home-based business, I would not have a blog or a network. Those start-up times were defined by the long hours of imbalance, but I wouldn’t trade them in. This imbalance powered ideas, solutions, and creative energy. I may have stayed up until midnight to attend to a child, write a post, launch a program, or answer an email. But while I was doing that, connections were being made that I could appreciate years down the line.
While I am thankful to sit here now with enough balance to write on a more leisurely timeframe, I’m also thankful for the chaos that got me here. So I would say while balance helps us gain perspective, imbalance also plays a role in providing the creative forces that shape our careers and experiences.
Next time we questions our tendencies to stay up too late, check email too much, or forget to eat, let’s remember that creative forces could be driving these decisions, and great things may await!
Lorraine Akemann | Cofounder and Editor | Moms With Apps