Are you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted? Do you often find yourself struggling to balance your personal and professional life? Achieving balance in life can bring a sense of fulfillment and meaning. In this article, we will explore strategies to help you gain balance and perspective in how you’re living your life.
Be Reasonable
People often feel like they have to accomplish everything, and this leads to burnout. However, it is important to remember that we all have limits to our resources like time, money, and energy. It is completely understandable to want to accomplish many things, but it is important to consider how much time is in a day. Erase the idea of perfection and problem-solving for others. It's okay not to get everything done. You are doing your best!
Find a Support System
Having a support system can make all the difference in achieving balance. Find the people in your life who build you up and support you, who add value to your life and inspire you to be a better version of yourself. Try to avoid people who add or create more stress for you. Remember that stress will affect you physically, so, within reason, consider phasing out those who might be causing your stress or imbalance.
Take Control and Say No
Often, people say yes to others because there might be an unreasonable pressure to immediately please people. It is important to consider your current list of responsibilities. Take time to think about what you can reasonably complete. Try to alleviate adding extra stress by learning how to say no.
Make a Schedule for Rest
Resting doesn't always have to equate to sleeping, but scheduling time to relax can be beneficial to your health. Intentionally do things that give you comfort, peace, health, and happiness. Make a deliberate effort to prioritize your needs.
Focus on Today
Creating a healthy, balanced life requires you to be present in your family, friends, hobbies, and work. There will always be something that we will need to do, haven't gotten to, or something we have always wanted to do. Try to avoid obsessing about the future, and focus on what is happening today.
Start Your Day with Prayer or Meditation
Achieving balance in your life starts with your personal choice and decision to change the way you live your life. It requires your attitude and discipline to make it happen. That's why achieving balance in your life requires that you have a very strong core. If you don't like who you are, where you are, or what you do, chances are you won't like the other areas of your life either. Make it a habit to start your day by praying or meditating. Praying or meditating in the morning helps you feel that you are more than you think you are, that you can do more than you think you can, and that there is more to life than what you're currently doing. Connect with yourself, know yourself, affirm yourself more, and understand that you are meant for greater things.
Be Fully Present When You're With Your Family
Family life is the area most often associated with work-life balance. Having a great family life is like the pinnacle of achieving work-life balance. After all, it is your family who sticks with you through thick and thin. When all is said and done, some friendships fade, but your family will remain. Start making a difference in the world by first making a difference in your family. Spend more quality time with them. Eat breakfast with them. Be more physically and emotionally present in their lives. Do one thing with your family today in which you're fully engaged. Yes, you can make a huge dent in other people's lives, but start small by making a dent and being more involved in the lives of the people already around you.
Reach Out to One Person You Already Know
In business, having a strong network helps you spread the word about your company. It also helps you get more things done. In your personal life, a strong network helps you grow in the different areas of your life. Which is another way to help achieve balance. By expanding your network and building strong connections, you get to learn from other people, widen your perspective, and even stretch your vision for your life. Everyday, contact at least one person you already know. It's always easier to start expanding your network with someone you already know. Tell that person what you're up to and ask if there's anything you can help him or her with. Then, ask that person if he or she can help you with something, even something as simple as spreading the word about what you're doing. People are willing to help more than you think. Asking for help also builds trust. To keep the ball rolling, don't forget to ask if he or she can introduce you to someone who can help you as well.
Spend Fifteen Honing Your Expertise
If you want to succeed in life, excelling at one thing is a must. It's better to be great at one thing and suck at everything else than to be average at everything. Spend at least fifteen minutes each day improving what you're already good at. If you're into blogging, spend fifteen minutes reading articles on websites like ProBlogger. If you're good at marketing, spend fifteen minutes studying the latest marketing tools and trends and visiting blogs like Seth Godin's. If you're great at sports, by all means, practice! Whatever you do, make sure you strive to become better each day.
Do Something Creative
Even though the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory has been debunked, the world still enthrones activities attributed to the left-brain, such as logic and measurement, while "right-brain" activities like creative pursuits get short-changed. Most jobs today require analytical thinking more than creative thinking. Many people also deem creative pursuits impractical and give up on them. No matter what your job is, you should keep going after creative pursuits.
If you're employed or if you have a business, create a plan to get more customers, to get more things done, to introduce more products, and to grow the business. Notice how your blood will get pumping and your adrenaline rushing. Only "right-brain" activities or creative pursuits have that effect in our lives. More importantly, it is only through creative pursuits that you stretch your vision and redefine what's possible for your business and for life.
If you're more of an artist, engage in creative activities that excite you like drawing, painting, playing music, writing music, animating, writing a story, or even starting a blog! It helps achieve balance in and add color to your life after a long, monotonous, "left-brain" dominant day. Don't just control, using your analytical "left-brain." Create using your "right-brain" as well.
Take a 30-Minute Walk
The first five things you need to do each day focus on your emotional, relational, and personal success. But, in order to achieve and enjoy all those successes, you also need to succeed in the area of your physical health. You cannot enjoy all the success you've worked so hard for if you're lying sick in bed. Make it a habit to get yourself moving. Take a 30-minute walk, go to the gym, take Zumba classes, or even stretch for ten minutes after every hour of sitting down. Just get yourself moving! There are so many different benefits from physical activities, and so many different ways to do it. Find what works for you and do it consistently. Small, consistent action beats one big effort followed by a big crash every time.
Do One Thing to Reach Out, Give Back, or Pay Forward
We all know the expression, "It takes a village to raise a child." Whatever successes you are enjoying right now, you didn't achieve them on your own. You were given unique opportunities by your parents, your family's history and background, different circumstances, the people you met, and "angels" you've encountered along the way. Success is not only a personal achievement. Success is also being given many opportunities to succeed.
Unfortunately, not everyone was given the same opportunities you were given. If you are reading this article, chances are you are living a more privileged life than many others out there who don't even have internet access. Be that small flicker of hope to someone today. Be the "angel" who will give that person the same opportunity that you had. No matter how you help, whether in educational, business, or even financial support, keep in mind that what you're giving someone is an opportunity to succeed. Helping someone also doesn't have to be big right away. You can start small by simply reaching out and giving that person an opportunity to have emotional support from you.
Finally, Malcolm Gladwell put it very nicely in his book, Outliers: The Story of Success:
“Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others onto the top rung… We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail. And most of all, we become much too passive. We overlook just how large a role we all play--and by 'we' I mean society--in determining who makes it and who doesn't.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, achieving balance in life is not easy, but it is possible. By following the strategies and tips outlined in this article, you can achieve balance and fulfillment in your daily routine. Remember to be reasonable, find a support system, take control and say no, make a schedule for rest, focus on today, start your day with prayer or meditation, be fully present with your family, reach out to one person you already know, spend fifteen honing your expertise, do something creative, take a 30-minute walk, and do one thing to reach out, give back, or pay forward. By practicing these habits, you can create a balanced and fulfilling life.