On Balance.
Oh, the relentless quest for balance! Life can feel like a juggling act for sure, with multiple priorities, and the need to give everything its correct and proper focus. It helps to remember that our priorities do not always all need to receive equal attention. Sometimes, one of them will rise to the forefront and demand more of our time – perhaps a substantial work or study project, caring for a loved one, commitment to a sport or professional event, a personal health issue, or a lack of resources. When this happens, balance comes with shifting our attention to this priority and giving it our best and most qualitative effort. It’s okay for one important thing to consume us for a period of time, and it is our intense focus on that priority that will help us to cover ground in that area, or resolve that challenge.
But very importantly, we should also give some thought to identifying the “bare minimums” of time that we allocate to the other important areas of our lives. These are personal and individual, and we should be clear on what they are. Some ideas: No matter what, we will save a specific amount each month; we will call our mom on Mondays, we will do at least 20 minutes of movement a day, we will make mostly healthy food choices, we will have family meals together more nights than not, we will stick to our values, we will use our diary, we will read about something new for ten minutes a day. Customise your own bare minimums list; and make it achievable and satisfying.
It is when we neglect our other priorities completely that we start to feel out of balance, and out of control. Balance can also be understood as staying upright, and not falling over. To do this, we need to keep caring for ourselves. Our body and mind will latch on to even the smallest amounts of care that we give them, and will use this to help support us and propel us forward, so that we can achieve our goals. Ideally, we want to step strongly over the finish line, and not fall in a heap at the culmination of a challenge.
A feeling of balance results from making time for the things that count towards the life that we want to lead, and moving away from those that do not. Choose to use your days, one at a time, with intention, and a feeling of balance, along with a sense of control, with follow.
Photo by Nadin Mario on Unsplash.