Have you been feeling like something’s been missing? You’re working. You’re working a lot. Maybe you’re working all the time. Your balance is off. I admit that there are periods when work takes the largest portion of my days and nights. While it feels necessary to work so much, lately my balance hasn’t been good.

In an attempt to change the cycle, I decided to give myself a break during the Thanksgiving holiday. I turned my energy towards preparing for Thanksgiving and having the family together. I suspended doing and thinking about work over a five-day period and it was wonderful.

I loved being with my family, especially since it’s harder these days to get everyone together. We cooked, ate, hugged, laughed, talked, and played games. After everyone left, I had a few days just with my husband to hang out, go to the movies and relax.

It was just what I needed, a family-filled break.

How do you navigate life balance? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

Letting go lessons can be found in the most unusual places. This past weekend my husband and I traveled to South Carolina to watch our daughter, Cassie, and her teammates (Go QC Boston!) play in the Quidditch World Cup tournament. There were 80 teams from around the country (and Canada, too) vying for the number one spot. In two days the teams played anywhere from 5 to 10 highly energetic and physically taxing games.

All teams had spent many months preparing, practicing, and participating in other Quidditch tournaments. They arrived at World Cup ready for the ultimate challenge to play the best of the best.

This was the lesson. I don’t know if it was like this for all the teams, but for QCB, it was about letting go of the outcome. They approached each game with the best they had. They enjoyed working as a team, supporting one another, staying focused and in the moment. While they played to win, as each game ended, they let go of the outcome and focused on learning more from their wins or losses. It was quite extraordinary to witness.

How often do we invest so heavily in an outcome that we miss the joy that’s part of the process? Maybe we’re so concerned with the outcome that we prevent ourselves from potential learning and growth.

“How often do we invest so heavily in an outcome that we miss the joy that’s part of the process?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How does letting go of the outcome change your perspective?