I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN OVERACHIEVER! Yeah I put that in all caps LOL. I have always had such high expectations of myself (whether it’s family time, school, sports, video games, diet, fitness or work) so balancing work and home life has always been the most challenging thing for me. It doesn’t help that since completing college I have not had a job either.  I literally went straight from my senior year at the University of Memphis to entrepreneurship which came with a lot of highs and lows and dangerous risk; no sleep and very little separation from home and work because I often worked from home.

Sometimes the balancing act of work and home life is about staying grounded and not feeding into what others say about you when things are going well. People love and hate it when you are successful. People who didn’t contribute try to tear you down; other folks who are trying to take advantage of you give you all kinds of false praise. Success can be a mutha and if you attain a certain level before you mature it can be dangerous. Especially when you begin to smell yourself lol. So to me it’s being able to compartmentalize things and being comfortable with the fact that you play different roles so you keep your ego in check.

For example, as the CEO of an award-winning nationally recognized communications firm I’m constantly on the go and I deal with a ton of people who meet my brand before they meet me. Most people get consumed by their success or titles but I recognize that I have a life outside of my firm, the Devin James Group. Which is why most people who meet me say, “wow I never thought you were this silly or fun to be around”.

Unlike most people I LOVE what I do for a living because I can see the impact our work has on people. But even when you are helping others’ you have to be careful not to burnout. Which is why I’m ridiculously spontaneous; I recently missed my connecting flight to San Francisco while in Phoenix so instead of waiting at the airport I jumped in a rental car and went mountain climbing.  When I’m done with work I am not the type to hang out at bars or restaurants. I travel with my Xbox so I’m always down for late night rounds of NBA 2k with the kids online (my gamer tag is @DevinJamesGroup if you dare to compete #KMSL).

I do mandatory field trips to Dave and Busters midweek (of course the kids love this, lol); I’m a musician who is constantly playing and listening music. I love cooking and each week I spend my entire Sunday preparing healthy meals for the week. When I am on the road traveling I make it a point to experience the city’s I visit by going on sight-seeing tours and renting bikes. I am a fitness enthusiast who loves competitive sports and tough workouts. I get weekly massages and enjoy reading and writing blogs.

Lastly, I have personal and spiritual goals that don’t get caught up in the excitement of the company so I  maintain that separation so that I have a sense of purpose in my life and I’m effective at work when I have to make the million dollar decisions. How’s your balance?