You Can Choose To Live A Balanced Life

Life is full of choices but for many of us, moving us from one task to the next with little time to think or relax, we feel they are made for us. We overschedule, overwhelm, and overstress ourselves because we want to be the best, stand out, or maybe just because we don’t know any better.

Our western society puts a lot of focus on staying busy and accomplishing as much as possible to “keep up,” but this often leads to burnout and feeling tired, anxious, stressed, and frustrated. This is because often by living this way, we forget to develop our basic values, priorities, and needs. In other words, our life is out of alignment.

It needn’t be this way. You can choose to live a balanced life. Creating balance will help you feel in control of your life and ready to take on any task or adventure. Without it, you will continue to feel drained and overwhelmed.

Obtaining life balance cultivates a calm, clear-headed feeling and allows you to find a calm, peaceful mindset.

What does life balance mean?

According to the Medical Dictionary, life balance means “A harmonious blend of occupational, familial, social, and leisure pursuits.”

Life balance means that you give even attention to all areas of your life including:

· Work

· Recreation

· Rest

· Self-care

· Family Time

· Personal Time

When you are untrue to yourself, your mind and body feel more worn down and exhausted due to lack of purpose and most likely lack of rest.

When you feel your life is out of balance.

The first objective when defining if your life is out of balance is to evaluate and acknowledge your situation. Most likely you are here reading this because you sense that something is just not quite right in your life. This indicates that you are feeling like something is out of place or not working, and you are ready to search for a new path. Be extremely honest with yourself.

How is your state of mind, how are you feeling on a day-to-day basis, and are there areas of your life that are being neglected? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your life balance needs work. 

Here are indications that you lack balance in your life:

• You are often angry - maybe even experiencing outbursts that are disproportionate to the issue.

• More forgetful - it may feel as though there isn’t room left in your brain to remember big or little things throughout your day.

• Feeling unease or discontent without an obvious reason - may indicate that you know something is unbalanced.

• Difficulty sleeping well – lack of balance can leave it difficult to wind down and feel at ease, affecting how deeply you sleep once you do manage to rest.

• Lethargy - overwhelm and stress can affect how well you recharge, leaving you feeling depleted.

• Increased instances of contracting an illness - your mental health plays a role in your physical well-being and feeling out of balance can affect your physical health.

How to create life balance.

Two segments of your life need to be evaluated to determine where your life is out of balance. These are the internal factors and external factors. Sometimes only one part is affected, but it could also be both or just certain pieces of one area.

Creating internal balance.

Internal balance applies to our mind, our heart, and our health; in other words, the things that we have control over within ourselves. This includes giving our minds the time to rest, challenging our minds if we are being lazy or unmotivated, loving someone or allowing ourselves to be loved, and taking care of our physical being with proper nutrition, exercise, and rest.

Good life balance allows you to get in touch with yourself. Creating balance will make you feel empowered and in control of your life. You have authority over your boundaries and what activities receive your energy.

A proper life balance will help you be physically healthy. When you provide yourself with the proper nutrition and physical exercise, you will be at your best physically and mentally. Exercise boosts chemicals in your brain that will enhance your happiness and confidence.

Creating external balance.

External balance relates to things like work, our social interactions, our family, and if we are making time for fun in our lives - the things that happen around us and directly impact our lives.

One aspect of a good life balance is identifying values and setting goals at work that help you achieve them. When you focus your energy where it truly counts, you increase your productivity. This brings you closer to your goals at a quicker pace and to become more successful in your career.

Creating life balance will help you nurture your interpersonal relationships. Having balance means you take time to be truly present in the lives of the people who mean the most to you. Engaging in and embracing these relationships will help you feel whole.

Creating life balance allows more time for fun. When you make time for the important things, don’t forget the fun. Balance leaves room for laughter and relaxation. Remember to enjoy life.

By avoiding devoting a disproportionate amount of time to work, and social interaction but leaving time to be an introvert, being present for your family but including healthy boundaries, and making time for play, a balanced life can be yours.

Identify what area needs work and get results.

1. Honestly evaluate your life - determine what areas of your life are doing well and which areas might be suffering

2. Plan - outline some new goals to return balance to your life and write them down! Then make a list of tasks to complete to achieve these goals. If you have already tried things in the past, reflect upon what has worked and what has not

3. Look inward - think about situations in your past where you have been successful and where you have failed. Then identify the things you did in the past that helped you with success. Actions? Thoughts?
   Do the same for your failures. Recognizing these help and hindrances will give you thoughts and actions to use and to avoid reaching your new goals.

4. Create backup - find affirmations to say to yourself when the going gets tough, maybe even put them on a post-it and hang them around the house for daily reminders.
   Then find someone to be your support on your new path. This person should be positive yet honest and there to push you forward when you are slacking and celebrate when you are successful.

More ideas to discover balance

• Have fun! Make jokes, be playful, reflect on activities you enjoyed as a kid, and then do them!

• Make time to be alone. Downtime is important to revitalize your mind and body. Try solitary activities like meditation, yoga, or journaling.

• Cultivate your social life. It’s important to find time to be with the people you enjoy, such as family and friends. Spend meaningful time with them and focus on being present during that time.

• Take an electronic break. Disconnecting from electronics can be hard for many, but it’s important to reset yourself. Set aside some time to be present in the world around you.

• Treat yourself. Get a massage, buy a nice coffee, or take yourself on vacation.

• Set goals. This provides direction and meaning and gives you motivation in life.

Get your FREE copy (no e-mail required) of 5 Ways To Create Life Balance.

Final thoughts.

Finding balance in your life will create a sense of joy and motivation that many people in our fast-paced society are lacking. When you focus too much on work and all the to-dos on your list, you inevitably ignore self-care, recreation, family, and all those things that keep you well and thriving. When you create life balance, you will be surprised at how good you will feel both mentally and physically.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

For more information, check out this post.

How To Create A Balanced Life: 9 Ways To Feel Calm And Grounded

Successful Days Lead To A Successful Mindset

The definition of success

The meaning of success defined by most dictionaries is the achievement of a goal. I believe a success-mindset is made through daily worthy goals accomplished.

Just achieving the tasks, you need to do instead of dawdling will encourage you to continue because you’ve stayed on track and didn’t drop the ball. Staying the course helps a successful mindset to become stronger and more flexible.

Gram’s Wisdom 32

My Gram used to say, a successful day is when you go to bed feeling like you’ve achieved something worthy during your day, and it’s enough to give you a sense of happiness and satisfaction?

She told me, to have a successful day, I should begin doing just one worthwhile thing one day. Repeating that process until it became a habit.

As I grew older, Gram revisited the idea of a successful day with me. Speaking of how success may be desired by all, but what constitutes success is different for each person.

Then, Gram reminded me that the little things are important. You don’t need massive actions or huge triumphs to accomplish something significant in your life. So, stop looking for the large wins and instead, focus on the small, steady, daily wins.

With that in mind, the tips below are small changes for you to make that can have a big impact on your success.  

5 Tips you can apply to achieve more success daily

1 | Plan your tomorrow the evening before

It’s an excellent practice to spend 10 to 15 minutes each evening (or when you’ve finished with your daily work) planning what you’ll do the next day. Have a to-do list with 3-4 important tasks that MUST be completed and at least one small thing you do simply because it makes you happy.

This list will act as a schedule for the next day. Once you have completed your morning routine, you can now begin your day productively, rather than spending time in planning mode.

2 | Do the hard stuff first

I think the hard stuff is those things you truly can't bear to do, or just don’t want to do. They may or may not be difficult, but they are often stressful for you to perform.

In his book, “Eat That Frog!”, Brian Tracy emphasizes a very useful technique to eliminate procrastination. He says that you should complete the most difficult tasks of the day FIRST!

The goal is to begin working on them as soon as you can. Try not to fret about it and just get started. Procrastination leads to uncertainty and your mind begins making up excuses and plausible reasons to avoid doing the actions you’re supposed to take.

So, start without thinking and finish whatever you dread doing. Once you’ve completed these tasks, you’ll instantly feel relieved and satisfied at having accomplished something worthy of your day.

(This might be a good time to do the fun thing. As a bribe.)

3 | Move that body daily

Exercise is crucial no matter what type of job or profession you’re in. One should never be too busy to spend at least 20 to 30 minutes a day exercising. Your body will release endorphins that make you feel happier.

Exercise helps with focus, expands your reasoning, and memory skills.

Not only that, but exercise will boost your energy levels too. You’ll feel like your life is more balanced, and subconsciously you know that you’re living a more productive life.

Very often, feeling successful is about knowing that you’re doing the right things and progressing in life. This affects your emotional and mental health levels in positive ways.

4 | Challenge yourself each day

Here are a few examples of how you can challenge yourself.

Be more mindful. Let go of any negative thoughts you have without judging them.

Step outside your comfort zone by facing some small fears. You’ll be surprised by the amount of headway you can make toward dispelling them if you apply yourself.

Build your confidence by going after and learning the skills necessary for something new you have always wanted or something you have just put off.

Stop complaining about everything. No one owes you, no one cares, and no one wants to hear it. Instead, try being kinder and more compassionate to yourself and others.

Read more books. Read a book by an unfamiliar author about an unaccustomed subject. Push yourself to read beyond your present understanding, and you will grow.

Success is a habit… and this is how you train yourself to seek success daily. Inch by inch, you’ll get better.

5 | You are accountable for your success

Accountability is something you do for yourself, not something others do for you.

Do you truly understand what you value? YOU get to design what is a worthy successful day. Have you ensured that what you choose is aligned with the results you want?

Did you accomplish what you proposed to do? Were you sidetracked and did you waste time along the way? Did you check off the tasks on your to-do list?

Do you creatively deal with your obstacles, and learn from your failures as well as your successes? Are you measuring your results immediately, or at a length of time to see your progress?

You must hold yourself accountable every single day. No one can do this for you. You are ultimately responsible for your success or failure. So, evaluate your performance, honestly.

Initially, adopting these 5 techniques might be challenging because they’re new to you. But as the days go by, you’ll realize that they are extremely helpful and aid your progress while reducing anxiety and freeing up more time for you to do what you love.

My final thought

Since success has different meanings for each of us, your success will likely look different than mine. Your day will also be distinctly unique. Yet, we all measure success in the same way, by goals achieved, regardless of the kinds of goals set. Here’s to your future success.

For more information related to this post check out the links below.

5 Ways To Have A Success Mindset

Appreciate The Little Things

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please share it with those you love.

Honesty And Integrity; Keeping Your Conscience Clear

This post is the first of six top rated posts I published in 2019. I have made some tweaks and felt they deserved another look.

Integrity and trust

Being honest and having a strong moral compass isn’t easy. However, your life is simpler when you behave with integrity. Others can trust you, and that trust is priceless. Acting with integrity is harder in the short-term, but its value is immeasurable. Daily life steadily becomes simplified when your behavior reflects your integrity.

You are free to feel easy of mind when you choose to live a life of honesty. When your words and actions are in alignment you are a complete person.

Tell your friends the truth in all circumstances. Be gentle and constructive in the telling. Hurt someone unnecessarily and you can lose them. Honesty strengthens your relationships. Although the truth is sometimes difficult to hear, be committed to being a trustworthy ally for the people who mean the most to you.

You can build strong relationships with others too when you tell the truth. Just don’t be surprised to find that there are those people who don’t like to hear the truth.

When you speak honestly, you needn’t worry about relying on memory to recount a situation. Being candid allows you to be consistent in what you say. It strengthens your conviction and shows others that you are a person of principles.

Your word can be relied upon because you ensure that it comes from an honorable place. You always give others the benefit of the doubt when conditions are unclear.

It may be tempting to cover up mistakes, please refrain from doing that. Creating a veil of dishonesty only leads to more dishonesty and that can lead to devastating consequences for your integrity

When you tell the truth, you sleep very well at night. It’s a good feeling to avoid being a prisoner of your own thoughts. You release them in an honest and considerate way. Your heart and soul are at peace because you are truthful but not harsh nor hurtful.

Today, the truth set you free once again. You are blessed to know the value of being honest. You are committed to keeping your words, actions, and behavior in line with your values. You don’t need to be in a position of power to have an impact on others.

Strengthen your integrity using these simple tips.

1.  Work on your personal growth.

Developing yourself is an effective way to strengthen your integrity. When you grow as a human being, you become more comfortable and confident with yourself thereby feeling less need to behave inauthentically.

2.  Reliability.

Be on time, avoid canceling appointments, and do what you say you’re going to do. If you say that you’ll deliver your report by noon on Friday, ensure that it’s done on time. It’s easy to be reliable if you under-promise but that is cheating. Instead, make promises you know you can keep, and you’ll never disappoint anyone.

3.  Be honest with yourself first.

Before you do or say something, question why you’re doing it. What is your real purpose? Are you being self-serving at the expense of others, or are your motives honorable? Self-awareness is a primary component of integrity.

4.  Be real but be honest.

Do people believe that you’re genuine? Do you lie to be comfortable or to pretend that you’re something you aren’t? Remember, honesty isn’t a license to tell a coworker that she’s fat or that her husband looks like a troll. Unless it is relevant to necessity it’s unkind and should be left unsaid.

5.  Let others see you live by your values.

If you’re unaware of your values, now would be a great time to sort them out and list them. Knowing your values makes it simpler to make decisions. It also makes your behavior more predictable, which makes others more comfortable. Know your values and live them each day.

6.  Be willing to say no.

When you say yes to things you don’t want to do, you’re not demonstrating integrity. You’re not obligated to take part in every opportunity that’s presented to you. Valuing your time is smart. Be honest and say no when you mean it.

7.  Become more confident.

Confident people are comfortable. Comfortable people are better able to act with integrity. A lack of integrity is often a response to discomfort. You’re not comfortable meeting your new girlfriend’s parents, so you make up excuses to delay the meeting. You lack the confidence to give a speech at work, so you call out “sick.”

· The more uncomfortable you are each day, the more your integrity will be challenged and suffers. Confidence and self-esteem are the answer. Work on both each day.

8.  Put a stop to doing things you shouldn’t do.

Are you stealing pens and post-it notes from work? Stealing your neighbor’s Sunday paper? Stealing napkins from the fast-food restaurant to stock your kitchen? Do you think those are little things to be ignored? Dishonest in little things dishonest in big. Think about your behavior and adjust accordingly.

9.  Stand up for something.

Most of us have values and opinions of some kind, but few are willing to ever share them, let alone stand up for them. While others won’t always agree with your stances, many will respect you for having them.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How do I feel when someone is dishonest with me?

2. When is it most difficult for me to be straightforward with others?

3. What are some lessons I learn from being direct with others?

4. What beliefs do I hold that makes it simple for me to act with integrity?

My final thought.

Live your life with integrity. It certainly is a more challenging way to live on the surface. But living with integrity is simpler over the long haul. The respect and goodwill that you accrue from this steady dependable behavior allow you to experience more success in every facet of your life.

I would be pleased if you were to share this with your family and friends.