Win at Home First: An Inspirational Guide to Work-Life Balance

by Cory M. Carlson

stewarding

Mark 1:35, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

He knew He would not hear God’s voice in the busyness of the day.

The devil loves busyness because it keeps us away from spending time with our Father. When

Jesus knew busyness and resisting dependence on God would be a problem for us. That is why He talked about it a few different times.

We all have different seasons when we have our head down in the busyness of life and never come up for air.

solitude needs to be intentional and structured.

A few years ago, I realized I had zero friends. I know that sounds extreme, but being honest, at that time in my life I had nobody I was doing life with.

When it came to my family, I felt bad I was gone all week, so on the weekends I was all-in with date nights, playing with the kids, and doing house projects.

I was going from place to place but not having a lot to give. Without friends pouring into me, my own cup was empty, and I was unable to pour into others.

Maybe you’re traveling a lot for work lately and not able to connect with your friends.

pause to assess your conversations with friends, you realize they are superficial, and you need to go deeper.

rut of coming home from work, then sitting on the coac...

In order for us to thrive at work and home, we need to be pouring into friends an...

We were not designed to be alone.

Just because you are with coworkers, or even with your family, does not mean you are in community with others.

The same thing happens to humans. When you try to do life alone, you get taken out by Satan.

We have great friends in our high school years and usually get a new group of friends in college, maybe our closest friends.

into the work world, our number of friends starts to decrease as we focus on our careers.

Friendships further decline as people have families and more work responsibility. By the time we’re in our thirties and forties, many of u...

Who are you doing life with? • Who is your inner circle? • How can you grow in relational capital over the next few weeks? • Do you need to be intentional with any family members and work on building trust? • Do you need to grab a coffee or beer with a friend you have not seen in a while?

I encourage you to go for deeper conversations. Don’t just talk weather and sports. Instead, look to have conversations of depth. Yes, deep conversations can get messy, but they also lead to greater impact in each other’s life.

I need to work out three to four times a week. When I take care of my physical capital, I have more to give. When I am eating right and working out, I have more energy, I am more self-confident, and I can handle stress better.

Physical capital is about optimizing our time and energy so that we have more to give others in our work and home.

Physical capital is about managing your schedule, so it does not manage you.

The Work vs. Rest Pendulum is a tool that shows this continuum between work and rest.

we need to counterbalance the high output we give toward execution, delivery, and performance with the equal and opposite reaction of developing ideas, strategizing, reflecting, and solitude.

The Bible says God created humans on the sixth day. On the seventh day God said to rest, calling it the Sabbath. See that?! Our first day on earth was dedicated to rest! God created us to rest and then go to work.

work from a position of rest, not re...

You have zero capacity.

You are not spending time in reflection.

Lead Yourself First,

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You are not present with the people around you.

You are emotionally unstable.

You are not dependent on God.

I have learned that when I am not intentional about spending time with God or investing in learning from others, I start to feel defeated.

Leaders are learners, so the wise are always humble and hungry to learn more.

Great leaders teach others to become great leaders as well.

some people are born with an intelligence advantage, but through learning from others, we all can grow in our intellectual capital, just like Peter and John did by spending time with Jesus.

Leaders make time to read books for inspiration and listen to podcasts to sharpen their skills.

Individuals with high intellectual capital tend to be great storytellers, not because of an innate ability, although some may have a unique gift, but mostly due to learning from the quantity of stories they have heard.

When we invest in our intellectual capital, we need to make sure we’re doing it for the right reason—to nurture a healthy mindset.

avoid is trying to increase in my intellectual capital so I can be “the man” and provide all the answers.

What books are you reading? • What podcasts are you listening to?

Financial capital is about the money we have to invest in ourselves and others. Money is to be a resource, not an idol.

I see this scarcity mindset play out in even small ways, such as getting alligator arms and being slow to grab the bill in a group setting.

I know I need to steward money well; however, God is the ultimate provider—by opening doors, providing connections, and so much more. I am able to release the financial stress and put my faith in God.

Where in your life do you have a scarcity mindset?

areas where you need to steward your money better?

remind yourself everything belongs to God?