Squeezing that bar of soap

A balanced life-getting it is like squeezing a bar of soap in the bathtub. You can get it, but keeping it is hard to do; and once you've lost it, it's tough to get it back. Most people have a sense of what a balanced life is-the hard part is actually trying to achieve it. Balanced living is our theme this issue, and Val Sharp, CA, has contributed an article about checking the alignment between your values and your daily life.

I've tried to achieve a balanced lifestyle in the past several years. I took on a major time challenge in the last three years with the Institute, and I confess that I felt a sense of dread wondering how I was going to manage. I had a young family, an expanding practice, and was involved in a variety of community activities. It took me about a year to plan ahead. The biggest impact was not so much on my own schedule, but on the schedules of others around me. My wife Gera agreed to shoulder additional domestic responsibilities, and, in return,

I arranged certain times for exclusively looking after the children. I told my business partners that I expected to disrupt their lives less than I would disrupt the lives of my support staff. I'm fortunate to have excellent support at my firm, and several individuals have stepped up to the plate to take on a lot of responsibilities that used to be mine alone. I think it's been a professional challenge for them, but that they've grown as a result.

The experience has taught me to be a better delegator and to be more understanding of other ways to "skin the cat." As a result, I think I'm better at letting others "have their head" to find a way to get the job done. Much to my amazement, sometimes things get done better that way.

For me an unexpected benefit of all of this juggling has been the improvement of my personal planning skills. I now am religious about booking vacations, weekends, and dinners out with family and friends. I've also discovered that if you book a week off and let people know you're going to be away, it takes the pressure off of actually going. The Institute staff is great at planning my time well in advance and it makes fitting everything in so much easier.

No matter how busy I get, I keep my early morning racquetball game times "holy," even booking meetings around them if I have to. I know that if I don't keep exercising the stress levels get too high, and I'm no good for anyone after that. Making these game times "sacred" is just one of the ways I try to create balance in my life.

We're looking for good people to run for Council. We have a definite need for members not in public practice, younger members, and members outside the Lower Mainland. We also need CAs to volunteer for committees, forums, and advisory groups. The time commitments and experience levels required (if any) vary.

If you're thinking of running for Council, I'd be very happy to chat to you about the commitments involved, having spent five years on Council. It seems like just yesterday

that I was humming and hawing about whether I should make the commitment! Being a Council member is challenging and very interesting, and I have to say that I've met many fine professionals on Council, the Institute staff, and throughout the province. I would encourage you to chat with a current Council member, or with Richard Rees, FCA, or myself to learn more. Please feel free to email us or give us a call:

* president@ica.bc.ca

* rees@ica.bc.ca

* The Institute's general telephone number: (604) 681-3264

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia May 2001
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