Let’s Talk About…Work / Life Balance

Let’s face it:  Life can be tough.  Work can get you down, the days feel long, and still you’ve got billz billz billz.  Life is especially tough down here in the third world.  Nicaragua is a primarily agrarian society (aka lots of hard manual labor on farms), is the least developed country in Central America, and is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (second only to Haiti).  And you thought you had problems…

However, Nicaraguans don’t let much get them down.  They work hard, but they also find time to celebrate the little things.  I have certainly learned something from the Nicaraguan approach to life, and I wanted to share what I have learned with all of you lovely, anonymous blog readers in the hope that you will find a bit of inspiration related to your own personal work / life balance issues.

Nicaragua has taught me that the first step to happiness is to accept that things are not always going to be perfect.  This is the third world we’re talking about, for crying out loud.  Things break…things break down…electricity goes out…water doesn’t work…your prize chicken wanders off…and so on and so forth.  Accept this and immediately you will feel a bit of relief (at least, it worked for me).

Accept that sometimes you will feel as though you are perched precariously on top of a school bus that is zooming dangerously up and down mountainous roads:

You may feel like you have the weight of the world (and / or a huge sack of yucca) on your shoulders:

Sometimes you’ll feel like you couldn’t possibly balance all of the things you have to deal with:

At times, it may seem like you’re backed up against a wall moving school bus, with nowhere to go:

Without a doubt, your boss will ask you to do ludicrous things, like stand outside in 100 degree heat with mattresses strapped to your body:

You might, on occasion, feel as though making progress is backbreaking work, similar to cutting an entire park-full of grass with only your machete:

Sometimes things will seem to be broken beyond repair, and you’ll just want to give up and walk away:

And, of course, there will absolutely be days in which you will be sitting at work thinking, “My job sucks.”

But, friends, never fear!  Despite all the hardships, life is good.  There are things worth celebrating.  So, next time you feel like you simply can’t go on, try a few of these techniques, courtesy of the lovely people of Nicaragua:

When you feel like you couldn’t possibly haul any more of your load up the mountain, stop the truck, hang up a hammock, and take a break:

When faced with hardship, stand up tall and proud, regardless of the circumstances:

Hug a baby:

Take a break to chat with some friends:

Commiserate with a co-worker who knows exactly what you’re going through:

Take a mid-morning nap:

Or, when all else fails – Just smile.

I know that I am personally going to make every effort to bring the Nicaraguan mindset with me to business school next year, and into all of my future jobs.

I also encourage everyone reading this to keep the Nica outlook in mind the next time you just feel like throwing your hands up in the air and giving up.  Life is about the little things…take time to celebrate them!

I’m glad we talked about that.