The word was BALANCE.
This is such an important concept as we all struggle to make ends meet while trying to keep our senses of humor as we make our livings. Like everything else in life, achieving BALANCE is easier said than done. We chuckled at the notion that we both thought that as we grew older (more experienced) that life would get easier. No such luck!
I was reminded of a bumper sticker that read: “Don’t Believe Your Parents: Adulthood Is Way Over-Rated.”
Not unlike the word SUCCESS, the definition of “balance” becomes a personal choice. We all have our own definition … and we all seem to be struggling with it.
I believe that the first step towards maintaining balance in our lives is to list the categories that make up our Individual Balance Wheels. What exactly do we need to balance?
Entries may include nutrition; exercise; business; family; hobbies; spiritual; sleep; study time; bucket lists and other areas that are important to you. You be the judge. You be the jury.
Next, it is probably wise to eliminate those activities within these categories that are not contributing to your satisfaction level. That will leave room to introduce some new tactics, or better yet, shift time from one category to the next. 24-hours is all you get so it is up to you to use this time prudently.
Once we have made these additions, deletions and adjustments, it is time to dust-off and exercise some discipline. The time you allocate for each category must be adhered to. You also must be kind to yourself since you will probably come up short more than once trying to keep yourself on schedule. Give yourself permission to keep trying. Failure is okay, as long as you keep on going.
It is important to know, and this falls under the heading of Emotional Intelligence, that everything and anything that you are experiencing was not invented yesterday. You are not in this thing alone. We are all under the gun and we all find ourselves wishing (fruitlessly) that we had more time to do what needs doing.
All you can do is all you can do.
1. Decide what needs doing.
2. Eliminate the time wasters.
3. Stop multi-tasking and focus on one assignment at a time.
4. Keep your sense of humor.
5. Call me before you head for the bridge.
Michael Jackson reminded us that if we are going to make the world (our world) a better place, perhaps it makes the most sense if we first look in the mirror … and make a change.
MIke