From Corporate World to Vanlife: My Journey Towards a Work-Life Balance
“How do I achieve a healthy work-life balance?” Over 22,000 people each month Google this topic and countless self-help books try to answer this exact question. I was always told that having the coveted “work-life” balance was not realistic. You will be succeeding at one while failing at the other. Self-help books and corporate seminars would preach similar strategies. Gurus would say “Rather than trying to achieve work-life balance simultaneously, give yourself grace and work on having a balance in which you have periods that you crush it at work and periods where work takes a back seat to your life, relationships, and personal experiences.” Makes sense, right?
I hung on to this idea and used it as an excuse -- to myself, to my family, and to the outside world. “You are not supposed to have a healthy work-life balance” I would tell my myself after working an 80 hour week in corporate America. “This is the phase of your life where career takes priority.” “This is what you do in your twenties, keep your head down and work hard.” The excuses were endless.
I am not going to tell you that I figured out the magical equation to achieving a healthy work-life balance. However, I will share with you my personal journey towards a work-life integration that makes me happy and more importantly, healthy. Not everyone’s journey will be the same but I hope mine inspires you to take a step back and reflect on the balance in your own life.
My Journey
Two years ago, I was climbing up the corporate ladder as a CPA of a prestigious public accounting firm. I started at this firm right out of college and found myself surrounded by highly intelligent and competitive individuals. As a retired collegiate athlete, I strived in this environment and fed off the energy and work ethic of those around me. After five years of working at the firm’s office in Iowa, a work opportunity brought me to Ireland in January 2019 for a two-year international assignment. I was recently promoted and was incredibly proud of the milestones I had reached thus far in my career. I was honored and grateful. But I was also very tired and was not finding time to listen to crucial signs from my body. Midway through this international assignment, I found myself facing a critical decision. Make a drastic change that terrified me or continued down a path that could ultimately impact my health.
International Assignment
A few months prior to the move overseas, I wasn’t feeling the best. I knew I was stressed as I navigated my current busy season with selling our home and belongings in Iowa. I glorified working when I wasn’t feeling the best as a token of my overall strength and dedication to my job. How crazy is that? I would tell myself that I would feel better once I had time to relax. My schedule was jammed packed and I didn’t have time or put more accurately, I did not want to find the time to go to the doctor.
Fast forward to early 2019, I found myself settled into our tiny loft in downtown Dublin. Immediately, I witnessed a harsh contrast to the hustle and grind of the corporate world in America to a European lifestyle that focuses on working to live – not living to work. I was adjusting to the new location, office, colleagues, and clients. I was excited to lead my new team and truly grateful for this experience. It was challenging, rewarding, and ultimately -- life-changing.
I was mid-way through my assignment and was noticing that the pain I was feeling a year ago, was still there. At this point, I was used to it. It wasn’t until my husband laid it out plainly that I realized the mistake I made. He said, “Each day, you are choosing your career over your health. Every. Single. Day.” And after my stubbornness settled, I knew he was right and I booked a doctor’s appointment. Thanks to medical professionals, the health issue was diagnosed, and I started feeling better after 6 months of following the advice from my doctor.
My Pivot
It was this experience that made me realize I needed to make a drastic pivot. My husband and I would spend the next few weekends while abroad at coffee shops discussing what would be next. We had lived frugally for the past 6 years, no longer had debt (such as a mortgage or student loans), and had enough saved for me to take a break from working. I feel blessed to have had this option. However, I knew I wanted to continue work. My career was such a big part of my identity that the thought of not having work was terrifying. Fortunately, my husband’s businesses doing well, and the lead partner was looking for someone to take over the finances of the Company. The timing could not have been more perfect. I finally was in the right mindset to make a change and a position was opening up that would allow me the flexibility and mirrored a similar lifestyle to my husbands’ lifestyle. I made the very difficult decision to leave the accounting firm and start a new chapter.
Fast Forward
It has been over a year since I left the accounting firm. I currently find myself living and traveling in a 75 square feet van with my husband. We have curated a lifestyle that allows us to work when WIFI is present and disconnect when we are surrounded by skyscraper trees and no cell service for miles.
Lesson Learned: My Insight
I do not necessarily disagree that work-life balance is unrealistic. I believe that there are periods where you will crush it at work and periods where your personal life thrives. However, the ultimate lesson for me was realizing that those “periods” shouldn’t last for a long time. If you find yourself in a period where you are immersed in your work, take a moment and evaluate how long you have been in this period of your life. A month? A year? Or years? Challenge yourself to be honest. Or better yet, ask your close friends and family.
Questions To Ask Yourself (or a close acquaintance):
In the past 30 days, how much time have you devoted to work? Give a percentage. Consider time spent at home where your mind wasn’t present because you were thinking about work. Do this exercise for the past 60 days, 90 days, and year.
Reflect: Looking at these percentages, does this surprise you?
In the past 30 days, have you missed an event that was important to you because of a work obligation? Why did you miss that event? Was it truly a work obligation that you could not miss or was it easier to let yourself down than step away from work?
When was the last time you spent time on a hobby?
How long does it take for you to disconnect from work when you are on vacation or PTO?
I ask these questions to myself every few months. I want to ensure that I do not fall into the trap where my career becomes such a part of my identity that finding time and space for hobbies and others seems too much like a burden.
If work is consuming your life to the point where you feel like a rock is on your chest and any additional obligation would send you spiraling, a drastic pivot may be necessary to pull yourself out. This change will not be easy. You will be facing fear head-on. The fear of leaving what you know for the unknown. But trust me when I say that the Irish are right -- “work to live, do not live to work”.
Ashley Brambila
Ashley traded in her business suit and handbag for camping gear and a Camelbak backpack. An outsider would believe that her main language is all things numbers. And while she may be an excel wizard with a CPA badge and CFO title, her passions range from painting with watercolor to watching sporting events to hiking outdoors. Ashley is currently traveling in a Sprinter van across the United States with her husband.