Is it really even possible to balance business and love?
In a world that wants us to think we can’t have it all, I refuse to believe we have to choose between having money and having a honey. Judging from social media and reality TV, you wouldn’t believe it was possible to be happily married at all. Add running a business to the mix and it sounds like a recipe for disaster.
So we took to the streets to find women who have it all to find out how they manage it all. They were eager to share the secrets that help them balance business and love.
Meet counselor, speaker and creator of SimplyPassionateLife.com, Precious K. Williams.
Do you believe that there is such thing as balance?
You know, that’s an interesting question! As a brand, one of the core philosophies of Simply Passionate Life is that “every moment is a message, you just have to pay attention.” So yes, I believe in balance. I believe you’re able to find moments to enjoy life! You can have days where you enjoy work and play simultaneously. Balance occurs in those moments when the stars align and God just gives you that simple piece of rest. These are times when you’re able to get everything done through prioritizing the various elements of your life. With that being said, it doesn’t always work out that way. We need to know that balance and compromise work hand in hand. Life works with sort of an ebb and flow. So for me, as a mom and a wife, I know that my priority is my children from 5 to 8 p.m. (really 24-7 but stay with me) and that’s OK! There’s no balance between entrepreneurial endeavors and my kids at that time. Many days I have had to sacrifice sleep so that I can get my business done from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. or midnight. Throw in being a wife; which entails periodically deciding to readjust my entrepreneurial business hours and push my work into later in in the wee hours, in order to enjoy much needed alone time with my husband! So yes, balance is possible but it’s often accompanied by compromise and sacrifice.
Do you involve your spouse in your business?
Absolutely! I think it works great because my husband is very levelheaded. He’s the quiet to my storm and the ying to my yang! We’re basically whatever analogy about opposites that you can think of. The fact that he’s very artistic and I’m very results/task oriented helps me to flesh out the creative aspects of my business. It’s also really encouraging because he’s not overbearing — he doesn’t really come in with his opinions to attempt to override what I’m doing. Mostly, he’s there as a creative outlet for me to run ideas past and also help to with contracts and business proposals. It’s great having him in my corner because he can see the big picture since I am the passionate firecracker. It’s so funny how God worked that out.
Do you think there’s room for your boss hat at home?
That’s a good question. As a Christian, follower of Christ, I do believe in the biblical order of marriage. I believe that the husband is the head of the household and that the wife is his “helpmate.” I also believe that the woman was made from the man, out of his rib, for a reason. We are essential in helping men be successful! I’ve never met a successful man that did not have a strong rib cage — a strong helpmate supporting him and undergirding him. So yeah, in some ways there’s room for my boss hat at home but it’s in the beautifully designed, Christ centered way. You know, it’s an opportunity to support my husband and take his direction. Any great leader knows that delegation is important. At home, he has given me areas to flourish in based on what he knows my strengths to be. Conversely, in areas that are his strengths, he takes to lead and none of it is in a way that is subservient or demotes my worth. It shows that my work is very appreciated. God is amazing because I find it very refreshing to take my boss hat off at home. I think it’s awesome because I’m a “boss” in every other area of my life — a supervisor, counselor, motivational speaker, and an one woman YouTube creator. It’s really a God-given gift that when I’m with him I can be “off,” truly feminine, and follow his lead.
Is your husband a business owner as well?
My hubby is one hard working man. From 7am to 3pm he is a security officer at a university in Atlanta, during all of the other hours he’s an elder at our church — so he’s pretty busy. Thankfully, there’s nothing that he’s a 100 percent running as a business so he is able to help me with some of the logistics of Simply Passionate Life. This really frees him up to support in ways that may be a little harder for two business owners. Although it could totally work, we don’t have that lifestyle right now. It has been a privilege to see the role he’s played in my business and how I’m able to still support him with his role in our church, as well as encouraging him as he takes classes on certain evenings. All of that to say, we have a pretty dynamic household structure.
Share one piece of advice for any woman who wants to follow her dreams and her heart.
You want me to give one piece of advice? Just one? OK, I’m going to try to narrow it down but I’m going to take the long way around. I would say “learn how to have it all even when you can’t have it all.” As a mom, a wife, and as a plain old woman, we want to have it all! We want to be everything for everyone and we can’t. Some days you will be a superwoman, who gets it all done, and feel like you have it all. On other days, you will get none of it done and feel like “Lord, why?” However, even on those days, remember you already have it all in Christ! We lack nothing in him! We’ve been given the power to overcome this world and to live for him and His glory. So even when we don’t “have it all,” remember that everything that we get is just the icing on the cake. This leads to part two of my one piece of advice (see how I did that). You must know your “why.” Why are you doing what you’re doing? From having kids to getting married to starting your business to working at that company; why did you begin? Keeping this consistent reminder in mind will help you realize you already have all you need even when you can’t literally have it all.
