Join podcast host Megan Spicer and PJS & Co. CPAs Partner, Katina Peters, as they speak with podcaster and #1 Best Selling Author, spiritual seeker and serial entrepreneur Sam Kabert. Sam brings years of soul seeking experience and expertise and a new perspective when talking about the key to personal fulfillment and finding balance in your life as a business owner. Sam has had the opportunity to operate in the remote work realm and build relationships with other wonderful people in similar industries.
What we cover in this episode:
- 03:03 – Find balance in your life
- 10:15 – What is the key to personal fulfillment in your job?
- 20:40 – Work/Life Balance Best Practices
- 28:50 – Practice being present
Find balance in your life
The journey as a business owner is never easy. The driving factor for many when starting a business is to find balance in your life. Sam started SwagWorx and his podcast 11 years ago in 2017. “I started my first podcast and that’s when I got serious in working with virtual assistance and freelancers, I had tried previously for years and I like to joke that I failed a lot; and the reason was because… I expected the VAs and freelancers to be able to read my mind and be like a magical solution… What I realized through starting my podcast…I absolutely needed to figure it out in terms of working with VAs.”
Within the time frame of starting his podcast and learning to navigate this virtual arena as a business owner, Sam’s employee base and help was short lived. After making “a lot of phone calls…talking to peers and a lot of soul searching…” he changed his business model and learned to “double down on (his) strengths… and outsource or hire for (his) weaknesses.”
The ability to master the tasks that you are good at and delegate the time-sucking activities that take more of your energy will allow you to enjoy business ownership more, leading you to find balance in your life and business. Using advisors and mentors on this journey can also help you excel faster by avoiding the dreaded recreation of the wheel.
What is the key to personal fulfillment in your job?
On an episode of Soul Seekr, Sam’s podcast, he interviews Amy Vetter, a CPA who has similar goals of work/life balance. They discussed “trying to find ways to feel fulfilled without giving up your professional life.” They discussed the phenomenon of achieving goals and the correlation that we make to success and happiness. Goal completion and its tie to ultimate fulfillment is not always so direct though. What is the key to personal fulfillment in your job?
Sam shares a great perspective on why, when reaching your goal, it isn’t enough. “People were talking about (it), even when I was in high school, and it was always positioned as something to achieve, like one day I’ll have work/life balance. And that’s one problem that I see with work/life balance, as opposed to the reframe of work/life balance to soul/life balance, where we realize that work is a part of the human experience, and we put feeding our soul first and foremost daily, it becomes practice as opposed to a destination of, one day I’ll attain this.”
Spending time reflecting on what you really want and what makes you happy as a business owner and in your personal life is integral to finding a better experience. By focusing intentionally on your actions and what you are doing in business can be helpful as well. It is important to acknowledge not only the destination, but the journey, which is equally important.
The Yin and Yang
Sam Kabert also talks about the Yin and Yang of business and how it correlates with soul/life balance versus work/life balance. “If we look at, as the archetypal energies of Yin and Yang or the masculine and feminine, if you will, the masculine archetypal energy being Yang and the feminine archetypal energy being Yin well, when looking at work/life balance, both are in that Yang and masculine energy.”
“That’s about how you show up in the world structure, doing, obligations, all these types of things. However, there’s no time for the Yin, there’s no time for the soul. Yin represents being your soul, intuition, fluidity, all these sorts of things. So with work/life balance, we’re missing the balance, there is no balance, it’s just an abundance of that Yang energy. So that’s the reframe of soul/life balance and taking a step further, put soul before life.”
Fulfillment will mean something different for everyone because it depends on your personal experiences, priorities and current situation. Taking time to reflect on what you actually want and taking steps to work toward that will help you find a better balance.
Work/Life Balance Best Practices
The ability to find contentment in your daily life and balancing work and personal life doesn’t come overnight. There are a plethora of techniques, tactics and tools available that business owners, parents, and entrepreneurs use to develop their mindset and condition their body. Sam, Megan and Katina go over what some of their tips for achieving work life balance.
Perhaps one of the easiest and least expensive tools, is the power of breathing. Sam recounts, “Breathing is so huge. And before I got into yoga, I didn’t understand the power of breath. And then I did a 60 minute breath work journey where it was just myself and breathing… where I felt reborn after.” He continues, “And the majority of people in the world, not just America, not just the Western culture, don’t intentionally take breaths during the day. We’re always breathing subconsciously and we don’t have to think about it, but it can just be a few moments of box breathing, just inhaling, holding at the top and then letting go. And a few minutes of that, that regulates the nervous system… It’s incredible.”
Other techniques to consider are practicing mindfulness and intentionality, breathing, meditation, and journaling. Starting with one of these, committing to it and building it into your routine will make all the difference on your journey to find balance in your life, decrease stress levels and improve mental health.
Working remotely has become more commonplace in recent years, but this could be another area that can help alleviate stress, cut commute time, and give you back some time and energy. Working from home isn’t for everyone but it is something you could consider if long hours and a commute are interfering with your happiness.
You don’t have to make it complicated when seeking balance. Being present with your kids, family, and friends is a simple thing we can start with that many of us struggle to do in today’s world full of distractions. Sam’s book, SOUL/Life Balance, has more in-depth tactics you can explore if interested. Again, there are many work/life balance best practices out there, you just have to find which ones work for you.
Practice of being present
Our world of constant notifications has made being present an elusive goal. Sam shares, “I was so programmed and conditioned with the idea of work/life balance, that I’m going to attain that, like, oh one day I will have soul/life balance, but the practice of soul/life balance is actually being here in the moment.”
This can be a difficult practice, and especially overwhelming, when you feel that you’re constantly juggling work, family, phone notifications, etc. Sam suggests, “Find one thing you can do to quote unquote, feed your soul in the day. A good way to practice this is wake up and before just popping outta bed, hitting your alarm… just pause right there and ask yourself, what do I need in this moment? Or, maybe what do I need today? And make a commitment to yourself to do something that lights you up”.
It truly is the little things that make the most difference. Doing now what others won’t do so you can do later what others can’t do. If you’re interested in learning more, Sam also offers a Free Guide to Practice SOUL/Life Balance Daily.
Conclusion
Reaching your goals will not happen overnight, but that doesn’t mean the process of getting there should be grueling. Slowly making the changes in your daily life and constructing your journey will help you find balance in your life, both personal and business. Focus on building up those daily habits, being present and finding what work/life balance best practices work for you.
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