Blurring the Lines

“Who you are and the way you live will translate to how you work.” -Ken Saint-Eloy

Ken, a former colleague of mine was a speaker in a recent seminar series I attended last week. This phrase really resonated with me and challenged me to rethink the lines we draw between our work and personal lives.

In 2019, the average person worked around 2,080 hours. With 2019 consisting of 8,760 hours, the average person spent a quarter of the year at work. How are we creating an effective work-life fit and defining success in each area? Does the growth in one area always result in a decline or stagnancy in the other? There are traits we pick up in our personal lives that we can apply in the workplace. An example being punctuality and mannerisms such as body language. However, are there traits we pick up in the workplace and implement in our personal lives?

It is important that we remember these behaviours and practices are not always mutually exclusive and can impact each other in a positive manner. Developing an appropriate work-life balance is dependent on your effort to establish connections between the two. Our work behaviours will always be embodied by principles we deem as imperative. Having a passion for what you do and why you do is it what blurs the line between our work and personal lives.

As someone who works outside of the traditional 9-5 hours, this topic was relevant to me by highlighting aspects of the work-life balance within the sports industry. Thank you so much to Matthew Klarr for moderating a great panel and inviting great panelist, such as Ken. Looking forward to the rest of the seminar series!