BaLaNCe

This is something we hear so much about yet for so many seems to elude us.   There are many examples of this but for now I will stick to the two that I have found to be the most shared that apply to “business/life balance”.

“UNCONSCIOUS” is where we will start.   Over the years, listening to my clients and from what I have observed, some believe that balance is related to the speed with which we move through life. “Tyranny of the Urgent” was a term used for this with many of my business and entrepreneurial clients.   It is an unconscious need to “keep up” with society and what seems like it matters.

Most people seem to move through life unconsciously (have you ever been driving and all of the sudden you kind of, come to, and you have no idea how you got there?  Same deal, moving unconsciously.) I have witnessed someone so lost that they completely forgot what mattered to them in all the priorities in life.   They were in the abyss of unconscious living yet very successful in their work. There is absolutely no balance there.   Don’t be offended by any of this, I have experienced this!!!    Forever ago, when I was married I seriously have major gaps in what I recall!   Talk about a fog! I was going through the motions; unhappy and unfulfilled and I buried myself in my work. I turned on the autopilot…flew into the fog. That is the same as living unconscious.

However, in all my years of having business/life balance discussions, rarely does anyone say they don’t have balance because of THEIR choice, or lack of emotional fortitude, even a wavering of their moral compass or a moment of weakened character.  Most only own the “good stuff”.   It only takes a moment you know, a bad decision, a moment of rationalization, even a little white lie to throw off any level of balance.   It’s too much for the ego to admit that perhaps they made a mistake or that with the speed of things, maybe they lost sight of really truly matters to them.  So with that, they decide to muscle “IT” now, own “IT” and try to move forward thinking “IT” won’t alter anything.   After all, it is much easier to gaze out the window than it is to look in the mirror.   As soon as I realized I had a bunch of “IT’S” to contend with,

I started to be honest with myself and began making changes to live simply and more fulfilled, I felt the fog begin to lift.   And then I wanted to experience the fullness of EVERY day!!  Not just an occasional clearing.

So… let’s do a quick survey, shall we?   The following are the priorities in which we need to have humming in order to have any change of balance. Let’s be clear though, there are other incredibly important criteria but we will get to them.   First things first.

• Relationships (love is in here)
• Career 
• Health/Fitness 
• Hobbies 
• Faith 
• Finances

Now, tell me…no better yet tell yourself… Do you are feel you are living CONSCIOUS or UNCONSCIOUS in EVERY one of these in your life?

Attached below is a worksheet on “Relationships”. It has questions to aid in your “internal inquiry” to jump start this incredibly telling exercise.

balance-conscious-relationship-worksheet

The“how’s” of truly finding balance; turning off the autopilot and reentering the atmosphere of your truest self and best life takes some real strength, courage and leadership…do you have what it takes?