What Will You Do to Build a Life of Balance in the Year Ahead?
Balance – what does that mean to you in your life? Your work?
I have had the opportunity to have lived a life that has challenged me daily on creating balance in my work and home life. I have found that balance allows for opposites, both loud and quiet, movement and stillness, dark and light. I have also begun to look at how I create balance emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. We need to pay attention to all aspects of our well being in order to create a journey where every aspect of ourselves can be whole, by giving it permission to be felt, heard and seen. When we are practicing this kind of wholeness, we inspire others to do the same, and this creates a world in more balance.
I would like to provoke your thoughts around how to create balance in a world of uncertainty. It is critical to build balance from the inside out so that no matter where you are and how things may look on the outside in your environment, you are able to sustain internal balance in these 4 key areas.
I decided to ask myself what does balance mean and look like to me in each of these key areas.
Emotionally – Being able to feel all my feelings, the good and the uncomfortable, and give myself permission to lean into both. When I feel good, I celebrate it by either gathering with friends, supporting others, inspiring my clients, and acknowledging myself with deep gratitude for what I feel. It is giving myself permission to be in flow with all my emotions and to not hide, fix, or change them.
Mentally – Learning to observe my thoughts without getting attached to them, especially the negative thoughts, and letting them float out of my mind. If these thoughts seem to stick around, I make sure I move my body by dancing, walking, being in nature, even just shaking every part of my body. Movement is a great ally for shifting negative thinking. For my positive thoughts, I give myself permission to daydream, share them with a friend, and remind myself to savor this moment. This category for me also includes learning new things in the year ahead that support me to grow deeper in understanding of various topics.
Physically – Balance is making sure I am not getting too comfortable by not moving. Movement for me includes exercising, gym workouts, yoga, hiking, walking, and dancing. Moving my body when it has been stagnant and, at times, challenging myself physically. On the flip side, I need to recognize when to give my body plenty of rest when it is asking for that. It is a conscious effort to listen to my body and what it needs. If I listen closely, it does tell me what it needs; the next step is trusting what my body is telling me, and allowing myself the time and space to rest and relax.
Spiritually – Deepening my connection to spirit – to the part of myself I call my soul, the part that feels bigger than me. I have various teachers and guides I work with, and there are meditations I practice that stretch me to move beyond my mind and my thinking. I don’t always like doing these, but that doesn’t matter; the discomfort is what supports me in growing and getting out of the negative thinking of my mind. I commit to a spiritual practice (or discipline as some call it) to support the inner rewiring of my brain, mind, perspective and physiology to support balance when things get uncomfortable. Spiritual balance supports me in being more present and opening my awareness to a bigger perspective.
By asking these 2 questions for each category, you can create a quarter-by-quarter plan for your year ahead.
- How do I want to feel?
- What do I need to do to sustain that feeling?
When I look at the year ahead, my hope is that we all take a look at these areas of our lives and begin to bring in more conscious awareness to what will support YOU in creating more balance and peace for 2022. Take action to get the proper support you need to create balance in these areas. The more balanced we have in our life, the greater the impact we have on others and the work we do.
May balance guide you as you navigate the year ahead.
Stay tuned for my new Patreon Channel coming in February – there will be weekly short videos on tips to help you navigate the year with more balance, awareness and ease.