By Greg Primm

I was 21 years old on my final interview with one of the largest accounting firms in the country.  It was a top job for someone coming out of my school’s accounting program.  After lunch with a group of young staff members who were just a year or two out of school themselves, I sat down to interview with a manager.  His name was Mike, another small town guy like me.  He was in his mid 30’s, married, with a couple of young children.

After exchanging pleasantries, he asked me the same old questions I had answered an untold number of times before.  I gave the same responses I had practiced on the 3 hour drive to the interview.  We both knew this was a formality.  I had the job if I wanted it.  Then came the obligatory warnings from him on how many hours I would be working as I gained experience by doing the lower level work of a first year staff member.  Exciting things like reconciling bank accounts, asking inane questions of people who really could care less.  There would be travel to small towns, bad hotels, and lots of late nights.

I was prepared for all of the hours.  I was sure this job would give me the jumpstart I needed to a successful career in accounting and finance.  Looking back, I think the two years I spent in public accounting gave me a good foundation in critical thinking and the ability to drill-down through problems to the source.

At some point in the conversation, Mike learned that I would be getting married just a few weeks before I would have to start the new job.  It was at this point we started talking about balance.  I started to roll my eyes a bit cause I had heard it a million times already — how we should try to balance our personal and professional lives.  I braced myself to fake an interested look and nod at the appropriate times as he delivered the lecture.

What he said next has stuck with me for the past 15 years.

“I stay in balance by constantly staying out of balance.”

I did a bit of a double take.  I mumbled a response, probably saying that of course I agreed with him.  In reality, that didn’t make sense.  He explained that it is impossible to lead a balanced life, where we always manage the different areas of our life so that no one feels cheated.  He went on to explain how there are times during the year where he must concentrate on his work at the (short-term) expense of family time.  At other times of the year, he can leave the office in time to pick up the kids from school and spend plenty of time with them.

I eventually went to work for that accounting firm, but never really got to work much with Mike.  However, I think often about the words he spoke that day.

Especially now.

I’m in my mid 30’s.  Married.  With two young children.

I’ve got a day job, a couple of side projects, volunteer activities, kid’s activities, ReadyAimLife.  The list goes on and on.  It is physically impossible for me to balance family, work, and other activities all the time.

So, what to do?

Stay out of balance! Right now, I’m wildly out of balance working on some side projects as well as working on some volunteer activities.  And you know what?  For the first time in my life, I’m OK with it.  I’m purposefully letting some things slide in order to work on other important projects.  Most of these new projects are in the startup phase, so the heavy time commitment won’t last forever.

In a week, or a month, maybe 2, things will swing back in the other direction.  The holidays will mean more time spent with family.  I’ll work through some of the issues on my side projects.

My time posting on RAL has been infrequent lately, no doubt.  Thanks for sticking with us.  Just know that with all of the stuff I’ve got going on, I’m getting a lot of new material to blog about.

See you on the other side of the pendulum . . .