How Do I Start the Balancing Act?

Close your eyes. When you think of a balanced life, what do you envision? Is it an organized home? Does it include utilizing a calendar or PDA? Are your bills paid on time? Do you have time to work out and eat healthy? You can probably think of countless other examples of how ideally you would live a balanced life.

These ideas are a great starting point. However, when you are envisioning a state of balance in your life start with these two steps in mind:

1. One Size Does Not Fit All. Don’t be defined by others preconceived notions of what balance should look like in your life. No one knows your situation better than you. When you are striving for a sense of balance in your life, use your internal compass. No one is living your life, except for you. In order to have balance, you have to want balance and you have to decide what that means for you and your family. It is counterproductive to try to have a sense of balance because you are trying to live up to others expectations or because someone has told you that you have to get your act together. And actually what do those people mean by “You need to get your act together?”

2. Take Baby Steps. I have the habit of trying to make too many changes all at once. This approach has back fired every time. What happens quickly is that I would become overwhelmed and then I would do stop striving for balance. Trying to make too many changes in your life all at once can be overwhelming. Focus on one area of your life that you would like to balance. Continue to focus on this area until you are able to feel a sense of accomplishment. Your focal point doesn’t have to be huge. It can be something as small as waking up 30 minutes earlier each day so you don’t feel rushed in the morning. Once you have consistently accomplished this for 30 days, pick another focal point.