Work. Family. Kids. Hobbies. I get it. Finding time for everything isn’t always easy, but searching for a “balance” isn’t going to give you the answer you’re looking for.
Work-life balance is a topic that’s debated constantly. What does it look like? How do you achieve it? What careers and roles are best for it? But the fact of the matter is those conversations are a waste of time. Work-life balance doesn’t exist, and that shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing.
When things are in balance, they’re static. There’s no room to excel in one area or another, and that’s not the way to a fulfilling career or personal life. To be great in both those areas, they have to co-exist. Work-life integration means work-life happiness.
A lot of people are fulfilled by their jobs, and they identify with their career. They like surrounding themselves with hard-working people. They like learning something new every day. They like staying up to date on the latest trends. They like accomplishing things that seemed out of reach at one point. They want to keep working hard because they enjoy what they do every day and they want to stay competitive in their role.
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Tom Gimbel is CEO and founder of LaSalle Network, a recruiting and staffing firm based in Chicago.