Movement Monday: How We Lose our Balance

Welcome to Movement Monday!  This started as an email I sent weekly to my customers and clients designed to motivate continued action to achieve a desired goal throughout the week.  My mission is to provide the "want to" when it comes to reaching YOUR goal because the "how to" is different for every body and every goal.  When you are constantly seeking the truth, you will find exactly what you need.  Each email contains a subject, practical suggestions or encouragement surrounding the subject and powerful quotes that support the weekly theme.  After a big shift in my life, I am motivated to share my email with everyone!  My email subscribers will still receive an abridged version with a link to the full details here.

This is a continuation of last weeks message, cause my goal is to KISS - Keep It Short & Simple!  I want you to create movement... THIS week... TODAY!  OK?!  So check out last week's blog if you missed it - Is Balance a Mission Impossible? 

I personally have moments where I spend more focus in certain areas of my life and let others go.  I may have a few weeks where my nutrition is spot on, followed by weeks where I'll skip out on planning and prepping to spend focus on other areas.  Luckily, my body and my mind will literally get tired of missing out on their required nutrients, my workouts and energy will suffer and I get right back on track!

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony." -- Thomas Merton

Many times, however, we don't really recognize when we're off track, because of the gradual slide.  If you've never really taken the time to really get in tune with your body and know what it feels like to feel good, you don't really get what it feels like to not feel good.  If you have gotten to that point, where you feel invincible, powerful and strong, you don't realize that you're not until you're in desperate need of change. 

So, how is it that we get out of balance in the first place?  The idea is that if you watch for the actual cause of the problem you can catch yourself before you "hit rock bottom," or get to that dreaded place that's difficult to return from.

Perfectionism: I was once a perfectionist.  Burnout changed that for me.  I realized I was striving for the impossible and wasn't really having fun.  Since perfection can never be reached, more time is spent trying to be perfect than actually accomplishing tasks which just makes you tired.  If you are a perfectionist, take time to figure out what it is you're trying to prove because the only person who should care about what you're doing is you!

Control: So many people mistakenly think that tasks will just get done faster, or correctly if they do it themselves, but there comes a point where this is no longer true.  Control freaks often don’t trust others to help them accomplish the task at hand; therefore, they spend time micromanaging or just doing the work themselves. They work long hours because they need to do it themselves.  True, it may take additional time showing someone else the way you prefer it done, but if you allow someone else to make that task their main focus, you will soon find that they will find even better ways to get it done.  You've gotta just let it go!

Escaping: It is so easy to get out of balance when you're running from something difficult.  Grief (a death or major event) and loss (the end of a relationship) are two examples of this. If not checked in time, it can be extremely unhealthy.

"Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them." -- Thomas Kinkade

Recognition or a badge of honor: Some people just don't realize how big their ego is and what how much it needs to be fed.  When you're putting in extra time just to hear someone give you kudos, you should question yourself.  When you do things for the right reasons and with the right perspective, it will work out alright.  Recognize what's truly important to you and plan your days and life accordingly.

There are many other ways that people can get out of balance, but if the activity is hurting yourself or others, you should do some serious self examination and determine if you are being honest with yourself over your true motives and make sure you are creating the life you want to be proud of on your last day.  How do you want to be remembered?

This is the third in a series of posts about getting it ALL DONE!  Fall is a great time to evaluate what you're doing right now to get it all done!  With kids back in school, most parents have more mission critical activities and responsibilities.  These are the kinds of activities and responsibilities that tend to cause us to feel overwhelm and will lead to burnout if left unchecked. Since I don't know anyone that wants to feel drained and exhausting for their holidays I'm focusing my next online fitness challenge opening October 31st and running through the first day of Winter.  I want you to find YOUR balance so you can learn to get it fALL DONE!