|
by Doug Leland
Fuel for your business
Have you ever said, “My life is out of balance”? Have you ever wondered what a balanced life looks like?
A balanced life must be good and worth having because a lot of people seem to know they don't have one and
they believe their life would be better if they did. These people are not only right, but they probably
unknowingly understate the significance of balance. So let’s take a look at what balance is, how you can
get it, and why it’s more significant personally and professionally than you think.
What is balance?
Webster's Dictionary has several definitions for “balance.” The one I see most commonly applied to the
concept of a balanced life is “stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of a
vertical axis.”
Translated to everyday life, this suggests equal distribution of personal and professional time.
It also suggests compartmentalizing work life and personal life so that as long as some time goes
into the personal life “bucket” (even if it is far less than the time in the work compartment) you
perceive your life to be in balance. This definition generally does not speak to the quality of the
content in either compartment, just the amount of time devoted to each. Much like a seesaw, balance
teeters on a single point and is easily disrupted by the slightest change in distribution.
Webster has a second definition for balance: “an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements—harmony.”
The importance of harmony
Only when your basic needs, core values, interests and passions are woven through all of
your activities—from personal relationships to running your small business—will you have
created a state of harmony that cannot be upset by a slight shift on one side of the seesaw.
This is especially important given today’s economic climate and amidst
all of the uncertainties
worldwide.
Simply put, when the important elements of your life are fully integrated into both professional and
personal pursuits, your life’s balance is much less sensitive to the time allocated to each bucket.
Harmony is a higher standard for life balance, and once attained, more easily sustained.
Many see attainment of balance in life as their ultimate
objective or the end point. It's not.
Attaining balance is simply the beginning, not an end. Every person on this planet was born with
a unique set of skills, gifts and talents. Each has the potential to make a significant and unique
contribution. Most do not because they strive for equal distribution between work and play, rather
than harmonizing their values, interests and passions with everything they do.
Your challenge is to view balance as merely the threshold for considering potential and purpose.
Balance is not the main event, just the price of admission.
Check out Fuel cells for my seven secrets to
life harmony.
back to top
Fuel cells
The seven secrets to life harmony are simple, but not easy to attain:
- Create space—When bowling, the deadwood is cleared away so you can focus on what is important,
the remaining pins. How much deadwood or clutter do you have? Every time you feel angry, frustrated, guilty,
resentful, envious, anxious, fretful or worried you are showing signs of deadwood. You must clear this deadwood
away to clarify your basic needs, values and passions. If you don't know what these are, you cannot consciously
integrate them into your personal and professional pursuits.
- Protect space—As life goes on, as another ball goes down the alley, deadwood attempts to resurface.
To stay focused on what is important, you must establish systems and boundaries that automatically clear the deadwood
and protect the space you create.
- Say no—This is the most important word in any language for creating and maintaining a clutter free
environment. How many times do you say, “yes” out of guilt, peer pressure or pride? Any time you
say “yes"” because you feel you should, even though every fiber in your body wants you to
say “no,” you've added clutter, which decreases the likelihood of creating a life of harmony.
- You first—If you want to be your best for others, you must first take care of yourself.
On commercial flights, adults are instructed to put on their oxygen masks first before assisting children.
This goes against instinct, but sends a clear message: if you want to take care of your children, you must
insure your needs are met first. The same is true in all aspects of your life. Selflessness begins with a
little selfishness, which is not to be confused with being self-serving.
- Trust your intuition—Gut feel, intuition, little voice or whatever you want to call it, learn
to listen to it and trust it. Intuition represents the magic of your onboard computer as it compiles and considers
all previous knowledge, experience and current circumstances, integrates it with your basic needs and core values,
and then distills every question to a “yes” or “no.” It takes practice to hear the answer
and courage to act upon it. When you do, you'll stay on your authentic path versus going down someone else's.
You can only find harmony on your path.
- Be responsible—You are where you are today because of the decisions you made in the past.
You are 100% responsible for where you are right now and 100% responsible for where you will be in the future.
With the exception of death, everything in life is a choice. You are responsible for the choices you make, to
include not making choices. Harmony requires looking into the mirror, making eye contact and saying, “I am
responsible for my life.”
- Tell the truth—First you must be truthful with yourself, and then you must be absolutely honest
and unconditionally constructive with others. Truthfulness, listening to that little voice, saying how you truly
feel and taking actions that are consistent with your core values is the shortest distance to good decisions,
strong relationships, internal peace and fulfillment. The single greatest impediment to human development is
our inability to be truthful. How much of your deadwood started with words or actions that were less than 100% truthful?
back to top
Fuel for your soul
Consider these words of wisdom:
“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.”
— Abraham Maslow
“If you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe,
expedient, and thin.”
— author unknown
“No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back.”
— Turkish proverb
“Tell the truth. All the time. About everything. What's the alternative to radical honesty? Waste. Wasted time, wasted
money, wasted possibilities, a wasted life.”
— Brad Blanton
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
— Francis Bacon
back to top
|
