Work Travel + Life = Chaos?
Some ways to address Balancing Life and Work Travel
Traveling has always been my passion, traveling for work seemed like the natural flow for me, I have been doing it for 10 years in different levels of intensity.
Some years I’m barely home and some years, I get to spend months at home with some occasional traveling. Whenever I tell people I travel for work, frequently I get a positive response, along the lines of; wow how exciting!
I happen to agree, it’s been very exciting, I’ve been all over Europe the Middle East, the Rain Forest in Brazil, Indonesia, many states in the US and Mexico. I love it, I love the new foods, the different cultures, the new people and perspectives.
Nothing like watching a 6 foot Iguana like creature slowly cross by the door of your classroom, to change the rhythm of your presentation!
Ah! But what about the other people?
The ones that say; wow you travel a lot, that must be tiring.
They know, they are also the warriors of the road. Yes, I have given that answer myself, because with all the excitement it brings to my life, some days quite honestly, I just want to be home.
Many times, I don’t even get to leave my working area or go sightseeing, it’s not always fun. Many days it is just work.
So how have I made it work? How do I keep doing it? Why do I keep doing it?
Because let’s be clear, there is always a choice, if I’m still traveling after 10 years, it’s because I still want to.
I travel because I love my job
I keep doing it because I love my job, I truly enjoy what I do, when I’m doing a Transformational Breath® event and I’m all jetlagged, tired, working long days, and then I get a moment when I can just stop and look around my classroom and see the beauty of it, the profound transformation that is taking place in people’s lives, then I know it’s worth it.
I think this is the key. Truly enjoying your work, the great parts and the difficult ones.
Now asides from loving my work, I find that the first thing to keep present is balance. Balance between work, family, rest and fun. Not always easy…
Here are some of the things that work for me:
1. Establish a routine that you can do anywhere, something that is yours and you can take wherever home is at the time. For me it is doing my breathing and meditation practice every morning, but it can be anything you enjoy and nurtures you.
2. Bringing more of the things you like to have with you helps, making your room your home.
3. If you are spending more than half of your time on the road and you don’t get to enjoy your things and relax while doing it, this could create frustration. I know traveling light is key for the business traveler, but there is always a middle ground to be found.
Next page- More things that work for me: Flying time and Open honest communication
