Work-Life Balance - A Big Con: Part 2

In Part 1, I dismantled the myth of work-life balance—a seductive but flawed idea that promises happiness through equal parts work, life, and sleep. As a serial entrepreneur, para-athlete, disability rights advocate, and survivor of a spinal cord injury, I’ve learned that chasing balance limits ambition and ignores reality. My success—founding fintech companies, winning medals in para-rowing and para-triathlons, and advocating for accessibility—came at a cost: I sacrificed relationships and hobbies, just as CEOs and top achievers do, because there’s no such thing as work-life balance when pursuing greatness.

Instead, I’ve built a life of harmony, where purpose, passion, and energy intertwine to create a messy, meaningful whole. In Part 2, I’ll share my framework, the Four Pillars of Harmony, and offer practical steps to help you ditch the balancing act and craft a vibrant, purpose-driven life. This is a philosophy forged through decades of triumphs, setbacks, and sacrifices.

My Alternative: The Four Pillars of Harmony

After a spinal cord injury at 22 left me paralysed, I faced a future that doctors called "abnormal." As a young army officer in my prime, the accident shattered my world. Pain and despair nearly broke me, but I refused to stay down. Through grit, faith, and determination, I rebuilt my life—not by chasing balance, but by embracing harmony in chaos.

Harmony isn’t about dividing time equally; it’s about weaving passions, purpose, and energy into a cohesive whole, even if it means sacrificing certain aspects of life. I’ve refined this approach into the Four Pillars of Harmony. Here’s how they work.

Pillar 1: Purpose Over Schedules

Instead of asking, “How do I split my day between work and life?” I ask, “What does this season of my life demand?” Every phase has a unique focus. When launching my fintech ventures, my purpose was innovation, and relationships took a back seat. During my para-rowing career, athletic excellence, social life, and hobbies were sidelined. When I quit opioids, it was survival, and little else mattered.

For example, in my early entrepreneurial days, I worked 16-hour days to build my business. Later, training for international competitions meant prioritising rowing sessions. Today, my purpose is to run my business and foundation to build advocacy and a legacy while rebuilding connections I lost. Harmony means aligning your efforts with your purpose and accepting that sacrifices, like relationships or hobbies, may be necessary for success.

Tip: Define your current season’s core purpose by asking, “What matters most right now?” Write it down and let it guide your daily decisions, even if it means temporarily sidelining other areas like hobbies or social time. Revisit this purpose monthly to stay aligned as life evolves.

Pillar 2: Energy Management Over Time Management

Chronic pain from my injury taught me that time isn’t the only resource—energy is the real currency. Some days, I’m sharp and ready to conquer. On other days, pain or fatigue slows me down, and no willpower can change that. I listen to my body, not a schedule.

I align tasks with my energy patterns. High-energy mornings are for deep work, like strategising or intense training. Low-energy afternoons are for emails or planning. This maximises impact without burnout, even when personal priorities suffer.

Tip: Notice your energy peaks and troughs. Save demanding tasks for your best moments and protect low-energy times for rest or routine work. It’s a simple shift with significant results.

Pillar 3: Let Your Passions Collide

Ditching balance showed me how passions fuel each other, even if I gave up some along the way. My life is a web where everything connects. The discipline from para-rowing sharpened my entrepreneurial focus. Advocacy resilience strengthened my business grit. Adventures like deep-sea diving recharge my creativity, though I sacrificed hobbies like music to make room.

For example, training for para-triathlons, I used my entrepreneurial mindset to analyse workout data like business metrics. The physical strength gained boosted my boardroom confidence. By letting passions collide, each pursuit amplifies the others.

Tip: Find intersections between your interests. How can hobbies inform work? How can professional skills enhance personal goals? Embrace the overlap—it’s where magic happens, even if some passions are sidelined.

Pillar 4: Non-Negotiables Anchor the Chaos

Life is unpredictable—deadlines, competitions, crises pile up. I hold fast to three non-negotiables to stay grounded:

• Morning training and meditation: A workout (rowing, hand-cycling, or strength training) and meditation resets my mind and spirit.

  
  

• Family time: I carve out moments for loved ones—a dinner, a call, a laugh—though I’ve worked to repair bonds neglected in pursuit of success.

  
  

• Adventure days: Scuba diving or paragliding recharge me and remind me why I fight, even if other hobbies have faded.

  
  

These anchors are sacred. Everything else—meetings, projects, training—flexes around them, providing stability in motion.

Tip: Choose one non-negotiable activity that grounds you daily, like a short meditation or a family check-in, and schedule it consistently. Protect this time fiercely, even when chaos mounts, to maintain stability and resilience.

Practical Steps to Embrace Harmony

Ready to ditch balance? Here’s my playbook, distilled from decades of experience.

• Define Your Season

Life unfolds in phases. Reflect on yours:

• Growth season: Building a business or skill? Lean in, like I did with fintech, even if friends take a backseat.

  
  

• Recovery season: Healing, like post-opioids? Prioritise self-care, even over hobbies.

  
  

• Legacy season: Giving back, like through my foundation? Focus on impact, rebuilding personal ties.

Name your season, align energy and time, and don’t guilt-trip over sacrifices—they’re purposeful.

• Batch Your Focus

Multitasking breeds half-hearted efforts. I batch focus:

• Work bursts: Three-hour deep dives for projects like fintech solutions.

  
  

• Athletic bursts: Immersive training camps, living the sport.

  
  

• Rest bursts: Guilt-free downtime, no emails.

Focus intensely, then switch. It beats juggling.

• Measure Impact, Not Hours

Forget hours—they’re a balance relic. Measure impact:

• Did I advance my business?

  
  

• Did I strengthen my body or mind?

  
  

• Did I make a difference?

“Yes” means you’re on track, no matter the sacrifices.

The Bigger Picture: Building a Legacy

At 59, I’ve defied the ordinary—founding fintech companies, winning para-rowing and para-triathlon medals, fighting for disability rights, hand-cycling ultra-distances, learning how to scuba-dive and paraglide and launching the Ajmal Samuel Foundation. None came from balance. I dove into what mattered, accepted cost-strained relationships, abandoned hobbies, and wove passions into a whole. Top achievers—CEOs, innovators, champions, know this: sacrifice the balance myth to achieve greatness.

Call to Action

Rethink your approach:

• Entrepreneurs: How could integrating passions make you stronger, despite sacrifices?

  
  

• Athletes: What anchors keep you grounded, and what are you willing to give up?

  
  

• Advocates: Join the fight for inclusivity at www.ajmalsamuelfoundation.com or contact me.

Follow me on my website, X, Facebook or LinkedIn. This is my life, built through pain, grit, and purpose. Try harmony over balance—it’s more rewarding than a perfect checklist.

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