Movement Monday: Is Balance a Mission Impossible?

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.

Many people I know don't make quality themselves.  I will also say that many adults do not even know who they are!  It's not a judgement.  It's an observation.  Although the two statements regarding quality solo time and knowing who you are aren't truly related, combined, they could be a significant indicator of they type of life you are living.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." -- Socrates

When interacting with others, I've observed that people who really take time to get to know

themselves make time for themselves and vice-versa.  They seem to be genuinely happier, have more confidence, friends and achieve more success!  The "go-getters" I'm talking about simply seem to get it all done and they appear to do it with more life and zeal than others around them.  At least that is the presumption to a person on the outside.  Who doesn't want to achieve more and still have fun?

In our busy society, it is a continual struggle to take care of business for your job or career, take care of family obligations and take care of yourself.  When your life is out of whack, you simply feel busy; overwhelmingly busy... annoyingly busy!  For someone who isn't getting it all done, It is believed that if they just had more time, or managed their time better, they would be able to live the life of their dreams too.  It is unfathomable how someone can seem to do so much is even possible.  It is disproportionately believed by people who feel that their life is out of whack, that if they had more time, they would get more exercise, eat better and simply take better care of themselves... then their life would be more balanced?!  At least this is the most common comment I get when friends examine and compare my active life with theirs.  The simple fact that they are making comparisons, lets me know that they are not truly living as they wish to live.  This is a choice.

"Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance, you must keep moving." -- Albert Einstein

So what is a balanced life and do you need more of it?

Generally speaking, an unbalanced life may lead to illness, emptiness, failed relationships, and depression.  On the other hand, a balanced life should produce well-being, confidence, a sense of fulfillment, and leisure.

As a working parent, I don't really believe in balance, at least not on a daily basis.  I make many choices each day about how and where I will spend my time based on the priorities I have set in my life.  Depending on the time of year, certain areas of my life require more attention than others and that means I must cut back in other areas or make different choices about the way I get accomplish the task.  This is balance to me; it's my ability to feel in control of the life I lead.

On the other hand, I believe that people that feel overwhelmingly busy or just out of balance react to their days.  They're always operating in an urgent mode; only accountable to that particular daily task while leaving those long-term goals and tasks on the back burner.  It is this avoidance of your dreams and purpose that cause negative feelings, lack of confidence and control.  It is the constant attention to "critical" tasks that keep you feeling drained and leave you with that feeling of overwhelm.

“The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.” -- Irene C. Kassorla

So consider your life in these common areas to measure it's balance, or your sense of control over your life:

1. Physical Health - It's easy to let things like exercise and diet go by the wayside once things get busy, but that's the only body you're going to get and it needs to carry you until the end of the game. That's why it's critical to continue to keep your body strong and healthy enough to enable you to do the things that excite you.  Your goal is to be healthy enough that you won't have to say "no" to anything you want to do
2. Family - Many people claim to spend time with their family, but are you truly present when you spend time together?  Your goal is to make life-long memories and create amazing experiences with those you love and to do that you not only need to know how you tick, but how the members of your family tick.
3. Social - Having people around you that you like and trust is one of the best indicators of living a long life.  Do you take the time to build and cultivate quality relationships?
4. Financial - Good personal financial health gives you a feeling of control and a sense of well-being knowing that you have enough money to have options. If you're working too much, and you don't have the money you need, something is clearly missing in the equation.
5. Business/Career - A key indicator of "balance" in this area is how you feel day-to-day.  Are you excited to be making a difference and making progress-or do you dread the monotony?
6. Civic - How much time are you able to invest in the things you care about in your community? It should excite you when you give of yourself. If you haven't made enough time to give back to the community in which you live, you're missing out on a real emotional payback, because you are rewarded by the act of giving, especially through the giving of your time and talents.
7. Spiritual - This can mean many things to many people, but for me, as a Christian, I measure my relationship with God.  Do we have a close relationship?  Am I being obedient to his word?  Generally speaking, it is whatever fills your spiritual cup. This is how we renew ourselves. 

This is the second is 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!