Asset Services Insights - Fall 2016

“Balance is good, because one extreme or the other leads to misery, and I’ve spent a lot of my life at one of those extremes.” - Trent Reznor

The first time I read this quote, I chuckled; well, to be honest, I downright laughed out loud. I must admit that Trent Reznor’s quote describes my early career to a T. As a single mother, I spent 18 years of my life attempting to do a great job at work and at home. In fact, it seemed to me that when I was firing on all cylinders at work, home life was “not so much.” When things were great at home, my career faltered. Perhaps if I had seen this quote early on, it would have caused me to pause and think about what work-life balance really meant, and how to focus on achieving it. Cambridge Dictionary describes work-life balance as “a concept including proper prioritizing between ‘work’ and ‘lifestyle.’” It sounds easy enough, but why is it so difficult to accomplish? We must understand that work-life balance is not static; it is ever-changing. More importantly, your personal success is not achieved single-handedly. You must surround yourself with people, personally and professionally, who not only want you to succeed, but who are willing to play a role in it. How many of you are unwilling to leave your smartphone, iPad, or laptop at home or while you are on vacation? Can you resist checking e-mail over the weekend or during your child’s soccer game? What about that client who has asked for a meeting when you need to be at your their kindergarten spring concert? For most of my career, I was certain there was nobody that could handle my job in my absence or had the time to accept my responsibilities. Would my boss

think I was not fully committed? Would my client understand the importance of my child’s event? Sound familiar? Of course it does! We all struggle with our own reasons to not check out when we need to. I HAVE FOUND THAT A STRONG SUPPORT SYSTEM COMBINED WITH A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE SUPPORT IS THE ANSWER TO WORK-LIFE BALANCE. I refuse to miss the important things in my life outside of the office, yet, will not compromise my career. I trust that those who are near to me, professionally and personally, will encourage and sponsor my success. In turn, I will champion them and theirs. So, the next time you start to wonder if you should take your laptop, miss that ball game, or decline a business meeting, think about your support base. Ask them to step it up in your absence, suggest a change in time or venue to accommodate schedules, and be willing to let others help. Most importantly, remember that they too struggle with this concept of work-life balance; who understands it better?

AFTON TRAIL, CPM Senior Managing Director West Region Lead, Asset Services afton.trail@cushwake.com

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