Balance…

What does balance mean to you?

For me personally it’s about finding a happy medium with all things.  As an example, too much or too little of anything can have detrimental, no matter what it is.

I think Oscar Wilde said it best “everything in moderation, including moderation”.  Taken literally this can applied to almost everything in our lives, but finding balance can be elusive for many of us…

Mindset and time are the competing factors when looking to find balance.

How does your mindset impact that way you live your life?

Utilizing my mindset to stay open to the infinite possibilities of life allows me to balance my thinking and not be too driven into or becoming a slave to any single outcome.

Therefore keeping a flexible mindset is crucial!

If I take this simple example – “I must be thin, therefore I must diet or not eat”.  However, with an open mindset it may sound quite different and more like I need to balance my dietary intake, with nutritious and healthy foods while supplementing this with a consistent exercise program.

In this scenario shouldn’t our overall health be the objective?

Unfortunately, in a world driven by social media there seems to be more and more pressure placed upon us to be perfect in every way.  The concept of being the “best we can be” all the time can often lead us into closed thinking, and worse, into behaviours and habits that are unhealthy.

We ultimately control our lives, but sometimes we can be blinded by ambition and single-minded thinking…

When I was in corporate world it was tricky to find work-life balance.  Given that I was too heavily invested and focused on rising up the corporate ladder and becoming a Partner this meant that I had much less control over the “work” portion of this equation.

Thus, poor choices and an unhealthy lifestyle ensued.

This can be especially true of some types of work where you are expected to always be on and available and as we know can lead to some negative side effects with burnout being the unfortunate outcome.

In my personal example I worked constantly away from home, this coupled with a series of demanding clients and an uncompromising employer made for an unpleasant existence.

It often saw my nights and often weekends eaten up with conference calls, and followed up with a stream of work-related emails that came in day and night, with the expectation of my immediate response…

My mistake was that I blinded by my career opportunities and therefore didn’t identify clear boundaries…

If you have an employer who, even after being clear with your personal boundaries still impinges on your personal time then perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate your tenure.

Clearly, there are many parts to this scenario, but I believe finding your personal balance is important to living your best life.

I was fortunate in that several events conspired to give me perspective and therefore space to “rethink” my approach to living life…  Check out the other essays to learn more.

On some level we all know that our time is finite.

The concept of time provides us with a sense of perspective.  In terms of where we want to spend our time, but also how much of time should we devote to specific activities.

If there is one thing that the Covid pandemic has taught us it’s to take a long, hard look at where and how we live our lives.

With the realization that life is short and somewhat unpredictable (surprisingly this hasn’t changed, but out mindsets have) that we need to seek a lifestyle that we want to live, both in terms of where we live but also how we live.

As an example, I spoken to many people that have decided to no long live in a crappy climate cos that’s where your job is.  More and more of us have made the decision to live our lives on our terms, often with a remote working option to support us.

It’s time to invest your time wisely… spending time with your kids and loved ones and pursuing the things that make you passionate irrespective of what that is.

A natural progression to living life on your terms means that you need to evaluate the things, both good and bad that impact your ability to live your life.  Keeping a flexible and balanced approach will ultimately lead you to your desired outcome, but it may be bumpy if you must make some difficult decisions.

As our lives continue to grow and evolve, so does our thinking and mindset.  What’s important today may not be tomorrow, and that’s okay.  Remember nothing is forever and that it’s okay to change your mind.

There are no do overs, just this single life we have before us.

Afterall it is your life…right?!

Until next week

Ciao!