What Kind of “Balance” Role Model Are You?

Have you had the opportunity to spend time around any small children lately?

Next time you do…..watch them closely and notice what they’re doing. They’re watching YOU!

That may be alright if you sing a cute song and they sing it back. Or make a funny face or sound and they mimic you.

But I learned the hard way that this modeling of behavior can also have negative consequences.

Jokingly hold the plastic ears of a Mr. Potato Head up to your own ears and you’ll spend the rest of the afternoon chasing after a three year old trying to keep him from sticking those tiny plastic ears into his own ears! Or let a word you didn’t mean to say slip out and you’ll be wishing you could push the rewind and delete buttons on YOU! Kids learn the good – and the bad – from us.

I can’t help but wonder what a child could learn about balance by following us around for a day. Would he or she learn the good habits of self care, gratitude and healthy mind, body and soul decisions? Or would you be a “Do as I say, not as I do” role model, relinquishing the child to years of stress management classes as an adult to undo what was learned in the early years?

Just for fun, try it for a day. Pretend you are being watched – by a small child – or a large child (your best friend? your partner? your coworker? your inner child?). Act as if you were the epitome of a balanced life. What kind of schedule would you keep? What kind of decisions would you make? When would you say “no”? What would you add into your life?

Try it for a day and, hopefully, you’ll want to repeat it the next day. And the next.

And - with no small children required - you will become a role model of the balanced life you would like to live!

Sue Cullen, founder of Sue Cullen & Associates in Austin (www.suecullen.com), inspires and empowers individuals and teams to reach their full potential through career, leadership and team development and life/work balance coaching. She also offers Every Step Matters (TM) workshops and retreats to help women find meaning, joy and value in every step of life!