Staying balanced in life

How are you doing at staying balanced in life?

Is it simply a work-life balance... creating an equal number of hours at home and at work? There's so much to juggle in life that we can't just talk about work-life balance.

A balanced life has many things to consider, such as

• nutrition
• emotional health
• physical health
• work
• family
• self-care
• social 
• productivity

(What else would you add?)

In a previous post I wrote that balance means "that I say no sometimes and I prioritize so that the time I spend on either personal or professional activities is quality time, not just time." 

In another post, I wrote "I like doing it all. It stokes the fire in me. So to keep the fire burning, I've got to keep balance of all the things I want to get accomplished."

In order to have balance, we have to be willing to pay attention, reassess, and recalibrate often. I can guess what you're thinking... How do I do these three things when I'm busy trying to keep everything balanced?

Have you ever heard someone say that they don't have time to meditate or exercise, but when they do it they feel so much better? There have many times in my life that I have scolded myself for not taking a walk, because I know that the benefits would far outweigh the sacrifice of time that I would have to make in order to take that walk. 

From the food we eat to the time we spend moving our body to the news we read, we must pay attention to how we feel and how what we do affects us. If you feel tired, stretched in too many directions, or overwhelmed, chances are that your life is out of balance. We must reassess our actions and how the choices we make are affecting our lives. 

To recalibrate, sometimes it means letting go. It means something that you thought you would do, you won't. Accepting that something else has to take front and center first. Sometimes it means re-writing your goals, or simply re-writing your timeline for your goals. Again, this will be different for each person. 

To help me with reaching my goals this year, I've done more writing down of my goals than in the past. To keep balance, I've made sure to use one specific method to keep myself from burning out and to make sure I reach them. I like having a visual map of where I'm going and what I need to do to get there. Also, using my quadrant system keeps my fire list all year long. 

Also.. here's the secret sauce that it's taken me 24 years as an educator to learn...

When life gets out of balance, don't hunker down. Reach out. Lean in. Lean on. Find a group of friends, colleagues, or family members that you can share your burdens with. I have learned this the hard way, and now I know the easier way. 

If you want coaching from me and how to keep all of the plates in the air while keeping your sanity, please contact me. I would love to be your coach.