Balance
Balance is everything.
We don’t always realize just how much it matters — how much we rely on keeping things steady. In this world that constantly tells us to go, go, go — to hustle, to grind — it’s easy to forget that we’re not machines. And honestly, if I jump in my car and hear a grinding sound, it’s never a good thing… so why do we treat ourselves like that?
Don’t get me wrong, hard work is essential if you want to get anywhere. But working hard and burning yourself to the ground are two very different things. I struggle with that balance every single day.
My first week at the Televista Intern program
As a photographer, there’s always something demanding my attention — editing, sorting, creating social posts. It’s time-consuming, and I’m definitely guilty of working myself into the ground more often than I’d like.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about work-life balance. I’ve been reminding myself: I don’t have to stay up until 1 a.m. editing photos. I don’t have to sort everything the second I get home from a seven-hour shoot. It’s okay to take a break — to watch a show, play a game, pet the cats, or watch a movie with my wife. The photos aren’t going anywhere.
This is an older ad I did for Northern Lights Winery, That is me on the left and my co social media manager Erica on the right. We may or may not have stayed on the dock sipping that wine a bit longer than we needed to that day.
That said, it hasn’t fully stuck yet. I still find myself wandering into my office after a long day, editing “just a few more.” My own thoughts can be brutal sometimes:
“You have time to watch a movie? You have time to edit.”
“People are waiting on you — how dare you take a break.”
“Other people are working way harder than you.”
“You’re just being lazy. You don’t deserve a rest.”
But here’s the thing — can you imagine saying that to someone you care about? Your best friend? Your partner? Your mom? Of course not. That would be cruel. So why do we talk to ourselves that way?
If there’s one thing you take from this, let it be this: be kind to yourself.
We’re all just figuring it out. I can guarantee that the person you idolize — the one you’re pushing yourself to be like — also struggles with the same thoughts.
Take a break. Reset. Come back ready to kick ass.
Thanks for listening. :)
