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Are You a Well-Rounded Musician?

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How to balance your life and your career

By Sally Arnold

This area has to be one of the most sought after topics whenever I run Coaching or Professional and Personal Career Development programs for musicians.  I guess in our life it is easy to get caught up in the process of working through each day in a familiar pattern. And many times we do not sit down and really think about how we could improve sections of our lives that may not be as enjoyable as others. Quite often we don’t look at bringing our life into balance until something goes wrong.

The ‘life balance wheel’ is a simple tool to give you a fast and effective snapshot of your life as it now stands. I feel that once you have an ‘ah-ha’ moment then you can move and change parts of your life around that may need a little tweaking.

So take just a few minutes now to sit down and have fun with this exercise. It will help you understand where you are in balance in your life and what areas may need extra attention.

How to use the Life Balance Wheel.

Read the following questions.  Rate your life in relation to each section from 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. The numbers for your rating will be marked from the inner part of the circle (1) to the outer section of the circle (10). Mark where you are right now in your life in each section . When you have finished the exercise join all the numbers in each section together. You may still have a round shape or it could be a rather odd looking shaped wheel. The shape of your wheel will tell you what areas you need to find more balance in your life.

1. FINANCES

This is not about the amount of money you earn. It is about how you balance your finances. Do you lead a great life on not a lot of money? Do you save? Are you aware of how you spend?  Could you change your spending patterns?

2. HEALTH

How important is fitness and good health to you? Do you exercise regularly, even if it is just taking the dog for a walk each day? You don’t have to be a gym groupie. Do you look after you body by putting in the best food that you can? Food is your fuel as a musician. You are no different to an athlete who needs to fuel their body to run a race.

3. FUN

This is an area most of us can improve on. What do you do to relax and have fun or to have a good laugh? Lighten up your life. Do you go to the movies and comedies, read light books in contrast to your professional reading? Do you take part in some inspirational activities in your spare time; say salsa dancing, or having fun with your family? Become a child again for an hour or two. Be spontaneous.

4. GROWTH/LEARNING

In your career are you always learning or have you decided to stop? What are some new exciting things you can do to add more interest and passion to your career? How can you incorporate new learning’s into developing your career instead of staying in the same place?  What have you always wanted to learn but have put to one side for one reason or another?

5. HOME FAMILY

How important is your home? Do you love coming home every day? Is your home really special to you and have you made it a creative inspiring place for you to relax when work is finished for the day? How well do you connect your family? How important is each member of your family, how often do you tell them how much you love them?

6. SPIRITUALITY

This can be any part of you that connects with a place that gives you relaxation and inner peace - whether it is through meditation, spending time in nature or being a member of a church group. A spiritual connection can give you peace of mind and focus when you go through challenging moments in your life. As musicians, meditating before going on stage can help to give us balance and focus in our performance.

7. CAREER

Where are you in your career at this stage? Are you in a career you love or are you just marking time until something else turns up?  Do you still have that feeling of passion inside of yourself as a musician or has that part of you changed a little over the years? How can you re-ignite the passion you once had for your career as a musician?

8. FRIENDS

How important are friends to you? We do not need to have many friends, just a few who we treasure deeply. What type of friend are you to those close to you? Do you give to your friends or do you expect them to give to you?

Once You Are Finished.  

Now that you have answered the questions, take a look at your wheel and think about any simple ways you can make changes to bring more ease and fulfilment into your life. This is really a self-directed diagnostic tool. Go back to the wheel after a month and see what has changed in parts of your life. 

We all go through cycles of change. We can be having great weeks or even months, and then without warning something alters in our life. These are the times when it is important to bring that section of your life back into balance. For example, you may have been consistent with exercise and eating well and then a change occured in the work that you do or within your family. Suddenly you find the old coping habits creep in. You eat comfort food, convenience food and easy to prepare meals that may not be as nutritious.  Your exercise regime goes out the window. The important thing is not to be hard on yourself but to be aware of the changes and then spend some time consciously bringing your life back into balance again. We all move in and out of balance. The point of this exercise is to know how to change the times when your life goes out of balance.  Think of a surfer. Many times when they’re riding the waves they’ll get a great ride into the shore. But other times a wave may toss them off the board, and they are flung around in the ocean. If this happens to you, you need to know how to get back on your board and take the next wave back into the beach.

So use this tool as often as you need to in order to stay on track and aware of how you are living your life.  You can use this exercise with friends, students, and fellow performers. And finally remember that all you have to do to have a happy, healthy and purposeful life is to stay aware of making small changes.  Enjoy.

Special introductory offer for Dues Readers:

Until December Sally is offering discounted rates for Career and Performance development sessions to readers of the Dues. Contact Sally for further information on 0411 685 335 or email sally@ccdirections.com.au or visit www.ccdirections.com.au

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