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Charrise McCrorey
Creating balance in our life can be a tricky thing. We hear people say that having balance between work and play is important. But what does work/life “balance” really mean, and how do we know if we have it or not? Can having balance be over-rated?
At the center of this “balance” issue is that we feel satisfied with all areas of our life and have low stress levels. We want to know that we’re creating a powerful legacy and that in each day we make a difference. We want to do these things while maintaining good health and a strong spiritual foundation. We seek balance of mind, body and spirit.
What I’ve found is that there is no magic number of hours a person needs to work and play in order to achieve this balance. It’s different for every person, every occupation and every set of circumstances; it’s really different every day. We tend to judge a person’s situation, making assessments like “he works too much” or “she really needs a vacation.” The truth is that we are individuals, and we get to make our own choices about how to spend our precious time. What might feel like balance for one might feel quite unlike balance to another.
Balance is not something to be achieved just once; it’s an ongoing process with peaks and valleys – just like life itself. The key for us to feel satisfied with our life is to stay in inquiry with questions that cause us to re-evaluate our ever-changing circumstances. We can make different choices within any given moment. When we notice we’re out of balance we can adjust in the moment. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and we can release our judgments about it. We can commit to doing the best we can do.
Here are 10 questions to ask yourself in order to make your own assessment about how well you are balancing the priorities in your life:
1. When is the last time you got a full night’s sleep?
2. Do you adequately exercise to manage stress?
3. Do you feel connected to spirit?
4. Are you healthy?
5. When you get sick, can you relate your illness to stress in your life?
6. Do your relationships bring you joy?
7. Do you love your work?
8. How often do you say NO?
9. How strong is your relationship to those people closest to you?
10. How much fun are you having in your life?
Sometimes people love their work so much that it feels like play. For those of us who operate in this way, balance becomes less of an issue. And still, we need to be intentional about nurturing our relationships and take care of our health.
Rather than spending energy worrying about whether you have the proper balance in your life, perhaps it’s more productive to simply fill your life with things you love. By asking yourself the above questions on a regular basis, and then following through with choices that better support what you want, you will create an extraordinary life.
