Is it work-life balance or work-life integration?

Josephine 'Josie' Guico Villanueva served as President of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) Guam Chapter for the 2022-2023 program year. This article is adapted from her President's Message, published in AGA's Guahan Gaseta.

One of the most common buzzwords as a result of the pandemic is work-life integration over work-life balance. What is the difference? According to Stephen Kohler, CEO and founder of Audira Labs in an article from US Chamber.Com, “Work-life balance is focused on keeping your work life and your personal life separate, but equal, whereas work-life integration is centered on the belief that there is no distinction between the two and that both must coexist in harmony.” It makes so much sense, right?

One of the major benefits of being an AGA member for over 12 years is the network of people that I met during training and chapter events. Over the years, I have gained friends, sponsors, and mentors - some of whom I consider family. They are those that I called when I needed to “dial a friend” or “lifelines” when I needed words of wisdom and encouragement when things got tough, or the world seems unkind.

In today’s demanding workload with competing priorities, we often tend to run too fast and forget to be mindful and slow down. Capitalizing on these relationships helps keep us to stay motivated in our various roles, in achieving our dream and goals, and in overcoming challenges. They help us to stay in the course, focus and inspire us to keep a positive attitude no matter how difficult the circumstances are as they shared their real life experiences.

In this throwback photo, which was taken many years ago, I challenge you to identify past and present CEC members and volunteers. The 1st Photo was taken after one of those UOG training sponsored by AGA. The 2nd photo was after the Annual 2K/5K Run with Volunteers at the Chamorro Village and 3rd Photo was at a Tumon hotel after a monthly CEC meeting.

In the Now

Last month was a back-to-back event. After some of us came back from the Professional Development Training in Anaheim California, we held the 19th Annual 5K Run last July 23rd . The event was followed by the General Membership meeting on July 27th which we were fortunate to be graced by Pam Sherman - a Writer, Actor, Leadership Consultant, and recovering Lawyer. I met Pam Sherman, who is also the President of the Sherman Edge and the keynote speaker for Healthcare Financial Management Association’s 2016 Women’s Leadership Conference.

Her keynote stuck with me and the coin she gave to all the attendees is kept in my purse for many years serving as a reminder that sometimes life is to be lived on the edge meaning to be courageous in certain circumstances and take some calculated risks. Her leadership with an EDGE (Explore, Dream Grow, and Excite) is truly what we needed in the now. Her ENERGY Leadership crossed the international dateline since she was conducting our training at 10 pm her time which was a sacrifice, a proof of true passion for her mission as she articulates visualizing success and living outside of one’s comfort zone to achieve a purposeful life.

For accountants in the federal and local government, the next few months are critical for budget hearings and preparation for fiscal closing. For those private entities that are in the calendar year, as they enter the 3rd quarter and busy season, demanding work is at hand. For students, it’s goodbye to summer break, and time to reprogram your minds to welcome the new school year/semester. This is where your professional resilience is tested as you juggle multiple responsibilities. This is where your skillset and prowess are tested to not be buried in the details but rather focus on the end goal and main priorities.

Take Aways:

The profile photo that I had featured in this issue is my first time stopping by in San Francisco and checking one of my bucket lists to walk and cross the Golden Gate Bridge on foot.

According to the excerpt from https://www.history.com/news/golden-gatebridge-surprising-facts, the Golden Gate Bridge is a 1.7-mile-long, icon of the San Francisco Bay region that connects the city of San Francisco to Marin County, California. At its completion in 1937, the suspension bridge was considered an engineering marvel—the longest main suspension bridge span in the world. In various articles written about the bridge, even before construction began, many thought the project is impossible since the passage was home to powerful winds, constant fog, and earthquakes.

The story of the Golden Gate bridge construction is something very useful not only in project risk management but is relatable in our career and personal life. There will always be an unexpected turn of events, things that don’t go as planned but what we need to do is to master resilience, flexibility, thinking outside the box, and tackle things head-on.

Related to people’s doubt about the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge but in the end, its purpose materialized, work-life integration may seem to be challenging for some, but this is also doable in our career and personal life. For example, family time does not mean you need quantity but the quality of time we spend with our loved ones. Have no time studying to take a certification exam, try lining up at your favorite shopping outlet with a reviewer/flash card or flipping your online access via your phone instead of “Facebooking”.

Have no time to exercise, why not try running or walking on a treadmill while watching your favorite TV shows/K-dramas? In closing, work-life integration to me is becoming a CEO of yourself, knowing your priorities, recognizing commitments, acknowledging your shortcomings, and identifying what matters to you the most.

AGAPresidentsMessageAugust2022.pdf

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