We all have times in our careers when we are driven by excitement and passion, and we all have times when work becomes a little more mundane. What is it that makes the difference?

All of us can admit to feeling the ebb and flow of this spectrum. When we took our first steps out of college campuses and into our first gigs, our new careers were (somewhat frightening) combinations of lack of experience and fearless desire to change the world. A few years into it though, and maybe the world isn’t much better yet for all the experience we’ve put in. Or maybe the day-in and day-out is getting under our skin a bit. Certain projects bring back the twinge of excitement we felt at first. Others may not. This is fine so long as they balance each other out.

However, if the “other” types of projects are winning the battle and leaving you feeling a little burnt out, I have a question for you. This question has helped me during these times.

Do you believe in what you do?

This isn’t the type of question you ask yourself when you have 30 seconds or so to think about it. It’s a gloves-off type of question between you and your heart. Between you and your college self who dreamed the dreams that resulted in where you are today.

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As much as we’d sometimes like to, drawing a thick line between work life and personal life is impossible. Our work is inherently personal. And our work is a big part of life. So how can we begin to talk about a balance between the two?

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer out there. But it is important to address it. After all, we are a group of crazy, passionate, and creative people, who needs both our heads and our hearts at work. Our personal lives intensely affect the quality of our work. So keeping things in check there will give us the freedom to be more creative and productive in front of the screen or sketchbook (and vice versa). And if you’re in a left-brain mood, studies show that people who work for organizations that provide work/life benefits are more productive and loyal.

We’ve all learned by now how to make a list of priorities and, unfortunately, how easily it gets tossed by the wayside in favor of more pressing daily activities. Don’t get me wrong, doing an exercise in defining your priorities is important, but what about some practical ways to achieve them?

Here are a few ways to become who you want to be and achieve that elusive equilibrium. We are going to focus more on outlining the demands of your personal life, since most of us have career responsibilities that are already fairly well defined.

There are a few things that you need to commit to examining in your personal life to achieve a healthy balance:

1. Your family. Communicate with them as far as their needs and commit to meeting the ones that are at all possible. After all, you keep your family for life.
2. Your health. Schedule blocks of time for physical and mental well being. We all know how essential that is.
3. Your social life. Staying in touch with friends is essential for mental health.
4. Your habits. Be honest with yourself, and set limits on anything you do in excess. This might be work, internet surfing, TV, etc.
5. Yourself. Make “me” time, which is healthy for relaxation and personal reflection.

Now comes the part that might be hard for some of us. Ask for advice from someone close to you; it could be employees, family members, or friends. Have them help you point out anything to change, and then have them help you stick to your plans.

Once you’ve determined the needs of your personal life, consider your work responsibilities. Could you adjust your schedule in any way to balance both sides of the demands? Could you commit to being more productive at work in order to make more time for other healthy pursuits? (Tip: there are lots of productivity posts here!) Talk with your team to develop an environment that accommodates both work and personal development. In the creative environment, everyone will benefit.

Work/life balance might be a bit of a moving target, but the more effort you put into achieving it, the closer you’ll be to achieving it. What’s worked for you in your pursuit toward balance?

I have to admit I’m a big Discovery Channel fan. I LOVE Shark week and the Planet Earth series. But my two favorite shows are Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs. They both have a couple things in common, hardworking individuals and host Mike Rowe. If you don’t know who Mike Rowe is, you may know his voice from the current Ford Commercials.

You also probably know that here at Rule29 we love the TED videos and often post our latest discovery. Well, when Mike Rowe spoke at Ted I was intrigued to hear what perspective he would bring to the TED audience. And as usual he did not disappoint. This is a funny, intelligent and challenging look at all kinds of work and how we as a society view it. Trust me – it is worth your time – and as an added bonus you get to learn a little about lamb castration…which is always a plus.

Are you a Mike Rowe fan? How about the Discovery channel? What do you think about Mike’s perspective on work?