Work-Life Integration vs Work-Life Balance

Even in 551 BC Confucius knew the importance of having a meaningful job.  Long before the days of employee badges, corporate high rises, and double glass doors, the idea of a career was in existence.  This sense of meaning and purpose was so important that Confucius imparted the often cited wisdom of  “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  The hope to have purpose and meaning behind one’s work is not new, it has always been a part of humanity’s quest for fulfillment.

I am often asked how do you balance work and life.  My answer is quite simple “I don’t”.  My work is so much a part of my life that I couldn’t possibly consider it to be something separate; an individual entity completely segregated from my personal life.  My work does not feel like work, I have worked hard to manifest Confucius ancient wisdom in my life.  My “work” is fun and I have created it to be so.  My work, is such a grand part of my life, it is my purpose.  I have created an organization that has enabled me to do what I love most: collaborate and converse with interesting women.  My business is infused into my life and vice versa.  That’s why I have an insatiable energy and don’t feel drained after working 12 hour days.  I don’t mind having an inbox that is jam packed with requests, questions, and concerns because it is all a part of something so much bigger; something that I love, Hera Hub.

Make it a goal to thread your personal and professional life together.  Incorporate things you enjoy into your business, so it feels like you’re passing the time doing something pleasant rather then a task to be checked off of your list.  Try to infuse “focused fun” by pinpointing what you love: drawing, talking, laughing, interesting conversation, list making, etc. and weave it into your business and work.

I love Hera Hub so much that I don’t find it necessary to walk-away for days on end (plus, I don’t have the kind of business that would enable be to do so).  It has added such joy and meaning to my life, that it’s part of it.
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Felena is a long-time entrepreneur and marketing maven.  Her latest venture, Hera Hub, is a spa-inspired shared workspace for female entrepreneurs. This as-needed, flexible work and meeting space provides a productive environment for women who primarily work from home.  Hera Hub members have access to a professional space to meet with clients and to connect and collaborate with like-minded business owners, thus giving them the support they need to be prosperous.  Cost-effective monthly membership options are suited for freelancers, independent consultants, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and authors.

Hera Hub is much more than just a shared workspace; it’s a community of like-minded entrepreneurial women who find the additional resources, such as special classes, workshops, and one-on-one support essential for their business growth. The first San Diego location is conveniently located in Sorrento Valley.  By the end of 2012 Hera Hub will have additional locations in Mission Valley & Carlsbad.

Felena is passionate about education, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of San Diego and her MBA from California State University Dominguez Hills.  She taught Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and at California State University Dominguez Hills for the MBA online program for eight years. Felena was most recently rewarded for community efforts, as she was awarded the “Women Business Owner of the Year Award” by the local chapter of the National Organization of Women Business Owners.