With great delight this past New Year’s weekend, I opened my Wall Street Journal (yes, the one made of actual paper) to find Scott Adams’ essay, “A Year Without Fear.” 

First of all, I marvel at anyone who not only can draw (Dilbert) but also can write.  My husband’s cousin, cartoonist Marshall Ramsey, is another rare example; but I digress.

Adams describes in hilarious detail his efforts to overcome a natural penchant for taking the safe route, spurred in early life by an encounter on his bike with a woodchuck (you just gotta read it).      

What I loved about this piece, apart from the fits of laughter it prompted, was its metaphor for what I strongly believe life is largely about: consciously rejecting the easy route when it means achieving a life lived. 

We continue to face times of great uncertainty, change and instability.  In the thick of it, it’s so important to chart your own course, even when – and perhaps particularly when – doing so means facing down some pretty big fears. 

So here’s a virtual toast to 2012 and to you . . . make this year count.

What is your definition of work-life balance ?  I think before you can achieve work-life balance, you have to define what it means to you.  Work-life balance is a relative term that can mean different things for different people.

First of all, I would recommend identifying the priorities you want to achieve in both your personal and work activities.  Then, focus on those priorities, and plan the rest of your life around those priorities.

Many of you probably are thinking that this is easier said than done, right?  Well, it’s a start.

I like to follow the advice of Albert Einstein who said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

I would imagine that most of us are moving rapidly in this day and time, and the balance is more like a juggling act.  The key is to channel that movement into your top priorities.  Whether your priorities are balancing family, work, volunteer activities, religious activities or school, list your top priorities of each, and attempt to achieve those goals in a manageable schedule.

According to worklifebalance.com, “Work-life balance does not mean an equal balance. Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of your various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and should be more fluid than that.

Your best individual work-life balance will vary over time, often on a daily basis. The right balance for you today will probably be different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.”

For me, I strive to exceed the expectations and goals of our clients and my manager at work while spending as much quality time as possible with my family in addition to teaching online classes from time to time.

Recently, I had a Daughter-Mommy day with my five-year-old, and in her words, “It was the best day ever.”  We went to lunch together, her gymnastics class, then shopping.  While at the mall, she asked if she could get her ears pierced—kind of out of the blue.  Whenever the subject of getting her ears pierced had come up in the past, my husband and I always told her it was her decision IF and when she wanted to do it.  So, she did get her ears pierced—with no tears surprisingly. She was on top of the world, and so was I. We had a great rest of the evening as a family when my hubby got home from work. I definitely achieved my family balance that day!

What are some examples of your work-life balance?

This is one of my favorite quotes from a brilliant comedy—the 1999 film “Office Space.” 

One way I avoid a “case of the Mondays” and achieve a greater work-life balance is to spend time volunteering in and around the Knoxville community.  Volunteering with great organizations like the Friends of the Smokies, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Oak Ridge Playhouse  (just to name a few) not only fulfill me more than those I’m actually serving , but they also have allowed me to communicate with different groups in different types of settings. 

Spending time as a volunteer and being a good leader outside your company allows you to carry over those same qualities into your professional environment.  With the right mind-set and support system (thankfully, mine includes a wonderfully helpful, supportive and understanding husband), achieving a better work-life balance is possible. 

Of course, extracurricular activities outside the office should never be a substitute for professional development opportunities.  Employees always should have a thirst for knowledge and growth within their respective profession.

Simply put, happy employees are productive employees.  It’s certainly refreshing to work for an agency that encourages harmony between work and play, so that I can perform at my best.

For me, a better work-life balance produces greater productivity in the office, increased well-being at home and the opportunity to express myself through several creative outlets, so that when my alarm clock goes off on Monday mornings, this working mom doesn’t have a “case of the Mondays.”

Having just returned to work in recent weeks from an all-too-abbreviated maternity leave (there ain’t no gettin’ around having your name on the door), it’s appropriate for me that this month’s theme for “In the Profession” is the subject of work/life balance.

In case you’re looking for some tips on the subject, here’s a timely piece from WSJ Online, “For More Workers, Home is Where the Office Is”. 

A lot of this article – for me – harkens back to 2002, on the eve of when I started Mary Beth West Consulting from my upstairs home office, which is the size of a nice walk-in closet.  That office is getting some more use these days, as for the third time I’m changing diapers anew, struggling with sleep deprivation and cashing in on one of those perks of owning your own shop – setting your own hours, however gosh-forsaken they might be.

I pride myself on having somewhat mastered the art, science and logistical calisthenics involved with managing a marriage, a home, a growing family with very young kids and an entrepreneurial business in which I believe passionately and love sharing with a team of top-notch colleagues. 

And probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned on my journey since 2002: when you can find that place where pursuing your dream isn’t tearing you apart, then you’ve achieved something significant . . . because the longer I look around, the more elusive I find that this place is for so many people, women and men alike.

A few of my own tips along these lines:

• Keep any overly idealized notions of “work/life balance” at arm’s length.  Each day in its pursuit will always be fraught with imperfections.  Just roll with it.  Do your best, and actively listen to your instincts of where your time holds greatest value to the quality of your life and those you love.
• Don’t forego the things in life apart from work that bring you great spiritual and emotional fulfillment.  They’re what make life worth living.
• Most importantly – understand that there may always be someone who judges you negatively for the choices you make “in the pursuit of . . .” – whatever that might be.  Be mindful that someone else’s hurtful judgment calls are often driven by their own sense of insecurity about the decisions that they themselves have made.  Listen to the right voices.