No matter how far you have gone wrong, you can always turn around.
Balance is a myth. Yes, you heard me correctly. It is a myth…at least a myth in the way you think of balance. Most believe balance is an even 50/50 split of work and home life. Last time I checked, there were many other things that made up a person’s life besides home and work; social activities, spirituality, physical and mental health, etc. If you are doing one thing and thinking you should be doing another thing…that is a sure sign you are “out of balance.”
There are many reasons why we lose balance in our lives. Too much on our plates, doing what others think we should do rather than what we want to do, letting negative thoughts about the “what ifs” take you over…but the number one reason we lose balance is because we have lost power to something or someone. Losing power equates to a loss in feeling good. When you feel any one of a number of “bad” feelings, somewhere you have lost power. Power can be lost to a person, a thing, a place, or a thought. The good news is that once you are aware that you have lost power you can call it back by regaining the balance in your life.
How do you regain balance? If that isn’t the golden question, I don’t know what is! Balance comes back into alignment when you identify what is important in your life at this moment (your priorities) and you spend your time and energy doing those things. We lose balance when we are spending our time on things that we do not feel are important to us at the moment…necessary maybe, but not “important.” Let me define “important” here; important equates to a thing or a person you feel is worthy of your time that when you give your energy to, it makes you feel fulfilled and satisfied inside.
What is important to you today may not be as important to you in a month. Things and people change. You change. Change is the only constant we have in life. Get used to it. Every month revisit the priorities in your life and not only make sure they are the same, but assess your behaviors and make sure they are a match to those priorities.
What are your top priorities right now? Not your “to do” list…put that away. I want to see your backbone here, not your wishbone! What makes your heart skip a beat when you think about it? What area of your life is in the most turmoil right now? Where in your life do you often get confused and feel as if you never make the right decision? These answers are a clue to the direction in which the Universe is pointing you. Use your feelings as a guide. Where are your feelings guiding you? What feels good when you do it? What thoughts consume your attention all day long?
Take some time to write down your top three priorities and then create balance in your life by aligning your actions to those priorities. When your feelings drop, realize you lost power and call it back by doing something that will make you feel good again.
Know today that you deserve to have a balanced life. It is ok to have and experience good things. There is no need to feel guilty because you have something someone else does not. We are all on our own journeys. We walk the same road but we are all on different mile markers. Some are ahead and some are behind. Those ahead are not “better” and those behind are not “slower.” We are at the exact mile marker we should be. When you get lost on the road of life, pull over (rest), look at your map (your priorities), turn around if you need to (set different priorities) and get back on the road (re-engage in life - take action).
Remember…we are all walking on the same road. Make it a good “road trip.” 😉
Once you become aware of something that is limiting you, you then have the power to change it.
Calling back my power,
Chris
Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.