How Female Engineers Live A More Balanced Life
We are living in challenging times which have the potential to cause anxiety, uncertainty, and fear. More than ever, our to-do lists have grown tremendously and continue to multiply as we embrace our different roles as women.
As an engineer, leader, business owner, mother, and partner, there are times maintaining balance feels like a struggle. I can see myself at times as a “master juggler” within an award-winning circus that travels the world. Perhaps, you can relate?
I define balance as the ability to experience peace even when faced with insurmountable challenges. It flows out of mental fortitude, resilience, and emotional maturity.
Recently, my view and approach to embracing a balanced life changed.
I’ve moved away from focusing on priorities and now focus more on my personal commitments. For instance, after many years of struggling in this area, building and surrounding myself with healthy relationships is a must. In fact, I never realized how living and working in toxic settings with toxic individuals can drain your physical, creative, and emotional energy. This is same energy you could use to be more intentional with your time and intellectual capital.
So, this is how it works.
Step 1 - Have an open mind
First, we want to rid ourselves of the typical approach to balanced living: “prioritize your time” or “say no lovingly.” Actually, just three years ago I would have given you this exact same guidance to finding balance. Now, my guidance would not begin there.
Step 2 - Identify the things that will make you happy right now
Let me challenge your thinking. What if you were able to live a balanced life fulfilling all your roles but in a way that brings peace and joy? What are your personal commitments that fall in that space and how do they look in your daily life? For me, my personal commitments look like:
Cultivating healthy relationships: This includes friendships, work relationships, romantic connections, and parenting my children.
Building creative environments: I incorporate hiking adventures, Nollywood movies, Christ-centered meditation, and belly dancing to get my creative energy moving at an optimal speed.
Practicing self-love: This includes not only the physical pampering but also being aware of when I feel tired or when I need to take care of out-of-balance emotions.
Step 3 - Live your personal commitments out loud
In ways, your personal commitments can resemble boundaries. They set the framework for how you will live and how others will interact with you. In fact, being more intentional about your peace and joy allows you to conquer anything that comes your way even if it means getting support to move through it.
Do you have a strong desire to live a more balanced life? Try out this strategy and let me know how it works.
Eryka T. Johnson
