A Well Balanced Life

A Well Balanced Life The first step is to take stock. Ask yourself which areas of your life are already in balance and which areas need balance. Below is a balanced life wheel showing the different areas of an individual’s life. Look at the wheel and see where you are at the moment. On the scale of 1 to 10 (10 high, 1 low), find out how balanced you are in all areas of your life. Choose the area with the lowest score, and make a commitment to yourself to take small steps to create more balance in that area of your life. Remember, this is not about being perfect. It is about honoring your priorities based on where you are in life right now. For example, when my son was a baby, I was at 2-3 in the area of my career. Now that he is in grade one, I am at 9. So, if there is an area of your life that doesn’t score high, ask yourself what might be the reason. Do you need to create a support network? Do you need to accept where you are, knowing there will be a time when you can change things? This is about being in harmony with the different seasons of your life, as opposed to pushing against life. With some things, we can make changes immediately. With others, we need to sit for a while before we are ready to make real changes. Find your inner balance point and honour your life, based on who you are and where you are now. It’s all about timing. Let’s start with an area of your life where you feel you lack balance, for example your life versus your career. Are you giving more time to your career than to your life? If so, then the first step is to become aware of what it is costing you to focus too much on your career while neglecting your life. Keep in mind that your career or business is there to serve your life; it is not your whole life. Ask yourself:

• Am I working too many hours while not making enough time for fun and relaxation?
• What is this costing me? My health? Am I stressed?
• How would I and the people around me benefit if I made changes in this area?
• Would I be more present to my own needs?
• Would the people around me experience me as happy and more present?

Create compelling reasons why you need to make changes in this area. Once you have reasons, figure out how you can take some time away from the area of your life where you are doing too much and devote more time to the area that is being neglected or overlooked. Create a support network There are only twenty-four hours in a day and only one of you. You may have to tap into resources that you have overlooked to delegate some of your workload and make more time for fun and recreation. This doesn’t always mean you need money to hire help. There are more creative ways to exchange services. A client of mine who didn’t like reading e-mails from her clients that contained repetitive questions installed a software program that others in the industry were using to tackle the same issue. This saved her four hours a day, which she was able to use to have fun with her daughter. Another client delegated some of her administrative work in exchange for doing some creative work she loved. If you think you have no support, think again. Perhaps you need to change your inner beliefs about creating support. People who were raised in a family where there was no support tend to think they have to do it all alone. That’s not a healthy way to live. The reason God made all of us, rather than only one of us, is that we were meant to help and support each other. No matter how little support you have in your life right now, as soon as you decide to ask others to help you with your life goals, you set energy in motion that will bring you everything you wish for. Have faith and forge ahead in the direction of your dreams. Bring balance to your life so that all of us can experience the joy of living in harmony. Zahra Efan is a Life and Success Coach who specializes in helping women achieve their dreams. To book a complimentary coaching session give Zahra a call at 604.582.7759 or visit our web at www.zahraefan.com