What is balance but functioning in perfect harmony
Life in balance
There is much said these days of work/life balance, balancing the aspects of life and work.
I, however, come from the view that in order to achieve balance we need to harmonise all aspects of life, which includes work.
It is not either work or life – it is all life; everything is life and work is only a component of our life.
In our 21st century busy lives it is 24/7 on the go, even our sleep is often not restful. We live our lives ‘out of kilter’ and after a period it feels perfectly normal. Stressed, but normal.
So now we live out of harmony and we don’t even know it.
We just feel that something is not quite right in our lives but feel there is not too much we can do about it, “it’s just the way life is.”
We get out of balance when we over focus on one area or aspect to the detriment of others.
We become lopsided in our view, polarised towards something or things and other areas do not get a look in. It is as if those areas become malnourished through lack of attention.
So how do we find balance in today’s world without compromising the things we deem valuable?
Finding balance
We have to start by analysing what we consider as valuable and see if it is of real intrinsic value to us, or just fleeting.
Will it lead to fulfilment or will it bring temporary satisfaction?
I am not talking about values here. I am talking about things that we give value to: our precious time, our energy, our attention. But first we need to acknowledge that we are living out of balance, somehow out of harmony with ourself.
Such a review needs to be thorough:
- Where do your current choices lead you?
- Do they lead to fulfillment?
- Do you know what “fulfillment” even means to you?
- What needs to be different?
- What needs to be let go of?
- What needs to be added?
At this stage we have to be careful not to mistake success for fulfillment.
Having reviewed all areas, it’s time to make new choices about how to spend our time, energy, interactions, or where to focus our attention, etc.
But it is not enough to just make choices. We need to start acting on our choices, which is often difficult as new choices tend to go against the grain of our habitual patterns.
Be persistent and remember why you made the choice in the first place … purpose will bring you back on track.
To get ‘back on track’ and live your life with purpose Contact Suzanne today!
