Margin, one of our team’s core leadership principles, is most commonly known as the space between the text and edges of a page. In a book, the margin’s purpose is to let the reader hold the book comfortably, give a feeling of openness and leave space for notes to be written. In life, we need this same space to give room for reflection and openness. Having margin in your life means having breath left at the top of the staircase, money left at the end of the month and sanity left at the end of a work day. Contrarily, Margin-less living is being 30 minutes late to the doctor’s office because you were 20 minutes late getting out of the hairdresser’s because you were 10 minutes late dropping off the children at school because the car ran out of gas 2 blocks from the gas station and you forgot your purse. Many can identify with this type of living.
One goal of living with margin is being able to see the big picture. It is so easy to get caught in the weeds of the daily “to-do” list. No one can give 110% at work while giving 110% to all other aspects of life. This leads to exhaustion, unhealthy habits and discontent. Something must give to create a balanced life. You should reflect and evaluate where you need balance in your life. Life will still have tension every once in a while. However, like a bicycle wheel, tension should be balanced equally on either side.
Which chart represents the balance in your life?
