Is Balance Really All It Is Cracked Up To Be?

Have you noticed the endless streams of articles that you can read and events that you can attend that focus on achieving more balance in our lives flowing through our social media feeds?
I have even written articles myself on balance, but of late, as I look back over my own life – as an author, a writer, an intuitive coach, a wife, a mother, I think we may have replaced our quest for perfection with a quest for achieving balance.

I think we have all worked out now that perfection is unattainable, but as I scroll through my social media feeds and look at all the advice on how to achieve balance, it kind of feels like we have replaced achieving perfection with aiming to achieve LIFE balance.

Just for a moment, I want you to stop and consider this –
What does balance actually mean to you? Is it –

– Perfectly planning your days to fit in work, fun, fitness, yoga and a good nights sleep?

– Is it managing to just get through a week of work, home and social activities without any dramas?

– Is it having the perfect diet, along with exercising everyday without surrendering to any temptations
( eg – laying on the couch and eating icecream!!!!)

Whatever balance means to you, remember this –
If things arent perfectly balanced in your life – take note – we are all human and even in the chaos, this is exactly where you are suppose to be right now, living, learning and everything in between!!!!

Dont miss out on joy
If you are constantly focussing on ways to achieve balance, you might find that you will miss out on experiencing fully all the wonderful feelings and sensations that accompany spontaneity like – excitement,joy and rejuvenation. These feelings make us truly come alive and they dont always accompany work / life balance. If you are a work/ life balance devotee – consider adding some spontaneity into your day, once a day, every day.

Feeling alive
I want you to think back to the times in your life that you have felt real happiness. Think about the times that have made you feel exhillerated and really truly alive.
Was it when you first fell in love? When you met your son or daughter immediately after they were born? Was it when your book was published or you started a new business or new job? Was it when you last babysat your grand babies,nieces or nephews?

Q: What is the common denominator in all of these special, incredible moments?
A: There was absolutely NO balance involved.
Just saying – immerse yourself in the joy of every moment, even if it does not involve work/life balance.

Manage your energy more
Striving for balance is often cited as the key to happiness and health and achieving all that you have planned but shift your focus to considering –
Every decision you make, is an opportunity to either invest or withdraw from your own personal energy bank. Each one carries a return or does it? In order for you to stay energised, your investments need to give you some kind of energy return.  If what you choose to invest in over the course of the day does not pay back a positive return to you, why would you put some of your very valuable energy into it.
Start thinking in terms of energy management –
What brings you joy, what depletes you?
What drains your energy – what replenishes your energy?
Focussing on Energy management is a key component to living a full life.

Embrace every moment
Let’s keep it real. Quite simply, there are days when we are under the pump to achieve and then there are times when it is completely the opposite and things slow right down. So instead of trying to slow down the fast times and speed up the slow times, why dont we just embrace both and run with life? Embrace the crazy times, rest in the downtimes and go with the flow.

Enjoy the dance
Throughout history, leaders and influencers, authors and our most inspiring artists have often shown us that great work – and, in fact, our best life moments are inevitably borne of a certain level of excess and craziness. As I look back during my own career, I realise that I have felt most alive and joyous when I was coaching, speaking at an event, working to a deadline with an editor and juggling all that accompanies – being me! None of that has ever been balanced or perfectly arranged.

So today, if everything is OFF BALANCE, look back over your life. Did your most incredible and uplifting times happen when your life was perfectly balanced or was there a sense that everything was off-kilter?

I love this quote by Adrianna Huffington –
” Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen”
So with that in mind- this week- enjoy the dance!!!!
Jo Ettles