There is no doubt that a healthy work-life balance is important for the long-term happiness of you, your family and friends, and your MSP business. There’s a good reason for the term workaholism. Working too much is unhealthy and we can even become addicted to work.
It’s good to put in hard work and long hours when it’s necessary and productive. But an incessant devotion to work and need to be at work too much has been shown to be detrimental to both your personal life and health, as well as your work output. What is more, workaholism appears to be related to other obsessive and addictive behaviors.
On the other hand, for you and your work to really flourish, your work really needs to be an honest and fulfilling reflection of who you are. This means that even when you maintain that healthy balance between work and life, your personal philosophy should be informing who you are at work.
What is a Personal Philosophy?
There are many definitions for the term philosophy. Some refer to philosophy as a general area of study. In this case, we’re interested in your own philosophy. So, let us define your philosophy as the rules and framework by which you perceive the world around you and respond to those perceptions.
Your personal philosophy is your basic belief system. It may be informed by or based on your spirituality or religion. It may be shaped by your parents or by your experiences. It may result from books you have read or conversations you have had.
The Real Value of Personal Philosophy
Perhaps the greatest value to be derived from your personal philosophy is when it requires you to examine yourself. If your belief system drives you to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings and to question their origins and legitimacy, then you have a personal philosophy that can really help you both in your personal life and in your work in MSP business.
An Excellent Rule for Your Personal Philosophy
A lot of this talk can risk coming across as rather wooly, as lacking clear action points. Well, here is one very clear action point that you can implement and see real growth: how did your personal philosophy change today?
This is the question I find most useful, as long as I remember to ask it of myself. You don’t have to ask it every day but if you can set a reminder for yourself, perhaps to have 15 minutes after dinner, during your evening shower, or perhaps before you go to bed, you give yourself a solid opportunity for personal growth.
I try every day to ask myself how I might change my personal philosophy. It doesn’t have to be something very big. For example, I may have been at the mall after work, looking for a parking space. Someone else may have taken the parking space I wanted, and I got upset with them. I might have remained upset for hours after.
Later that day, I might consider that experience. It was only a parking space. Maybe the other driver was wrong, but on the other hand, how did it help anyone for me to get upset? Worse still, how did it help anyone to stay upset for hours? The other guy probably went on about his merry day. I was the only one who suffered.
On the other hand, if I change my personal philosophy to determine that in future, I will not get upset over lost parking spaces, I will definitely benefit. My blood pressure will be lower. My heart rate will be lower. My overall health and happiness will be better.
Grow Yourself Through Your Philosophy
Go ahead and try this approach. Set that reminder. Spend 15 minutes reviewing part of your workday. Consider something that happened in your MSP business and how that relates to your personal philosophy. Find a way to change your personal philosophy so the next time something like that happens, you’ll be better off. You might be pleasantly surprised at the power of this effect.
