“Being present is how I am trying to live a well-balanced life. I used to work pretty much around the clock, checking emails and returning phone calls at night, on weekends, and on vacation. And I started to feel burned out and resentful. Now I try to be present with whatever I am doing and not multitask. If I am at work drafting a motion, I try not to also be texting with friends. When I am taking walks on the nearby trail, I no longer check my emails or texts during my walk. When I am at lunch with friends, I try to keep my phone in my purse. Setting these types of boundaries makes me more efficient at work and more patient and understanding with my clients, co-workers, and loved ones.” – Erica Mynarich, Cantin Mynarich, Springfield
“I have a cell phone for work and one for my personal use. I use the focus settings on each to set my time for work and for personal time. This way I’m not distracted during work hours by personal matters, but I’m also not interrupted during personal time with work matters that can generally wait until the next day. I check my work email only once in the evening for urgent matters and a couple of times on the weekends.” – Christine Novak, Littler Mendelson, Kansas City
“One of the things I try to keep in mind is that balance is often found through a tension of “opposites.” I am genuinely stoked about life. For real. However, I’ve also had moments of deep despair. I’ve lost loved ones, struggled with feelings of shame, and generally been exasperated with other humans. My stoke and my sadness are both real. Accepting the tension of these (seemingly) polar opposites helps me remember that this is how life works. My life will always be filled with things that can feel opposite to each other (happy/sad, rain/sun, easy/hard). That used to feel contradictory and confusing to me. More and more, it just feels like part of a grand symphony where I play one of many instruments.” – Benjamin Stringer, Stringer Law LLC, Springfield
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