The Balancing Act
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said or heard the phrase “There is just not enough time in the day for me to do everything I need to do.” I’d be a rich woman!
These days everyone seems as if they are going at super speed from one thing to the next trying to fit everything into their schedules.
People aren’t just focused on finding a way to balance work, family and self, they are looking for ways to balance things like exercise, meal planning and even start a business they’ve always dreamed about.
It can often feel like something always has to be sacrificed, because you don’t have time to make it all happen.
I know over the years I’ve had seasons where I struggled with finding time to give my attention to all the things that are important to me from excelling in my career, to self care, to mentoring young women in the community.
I’ve tried numerous things like cutting back on what gets my attention, some of my strategies have been temporary fixes, but something was still missing. I still didn’t feel like I had balance, that’s when I realized that finding balance is somewhat of a myth, balance implies that everything in your life is on the same playing field and everything needs to have the same amount of attention, when you really think about it, something like this would completely wear you out.
I’ve found the key to a holistic life is not a balancing act, but it’s creating harmony.
Finding harmony is about everything in your life being integrated, it’s about living in the moment and not wrecking your brain on how you can give your energy to everyone and everything.
In order to achieve this there are two things I would suggest focusing on:
Be clear about your why: When we know what we were created to do, it drives everything in our lives. It will determine what our values are, our priorities and just overall what we give our energy to. When we have a clear understanding of our purpose, we won’t stretch ourselves thin, because we will only give energy to things that align with that and we can be sure that some aspect of everything we do is creating harmony in our lives.
Understand that life changes: When we are striving for balance, we are always trying to do all things at all times, regardless of what is going on. With harmony you’ll have a better understanding and more flexibility when you experience ebbs and flows of life. In this season you might be able to work out everyday early in the morning, a few years from now you might not be able to do the same, but you won’t beat yourself up about it, you’ll understand a shift in focus and happily embrace it.
If you’ve been focused on finding balance, take some time to evaluate your life and discover how you can create perfect harmony. A life where you can be in the moment, regardless of what you’re doing, where you find contentment in every season, and you give your time, talent and treasure to the things that not only require your focus, but also reflect your values.
