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A Plan for Balance

When our lives are balanced, our perspective is one of being "in the driver's seat." We are in charge of our circumstances. We recognize the options available for dealing with situations, and we accept responsibility for making choices to control our conditions. Our awareness of these options leads to a sense of personal freedom, balance, and integrated wholeness.

In today's fast-paced society, it is normal to fall out of balance from time to time. Our sense of control seems to vanish in a whirlwind of career schedules, appointments, family responsibilities, and a search for more personal time. Simplicity appears to be chance rather than voluntary, and we backslide into chaos.

In response to many questions and concerns from clients and readers on this topic, I will be expanding on these ideas and the topic of integrated wholeness in a new series of articles beginning this October.

Today, I'm going to introduce you to a helpful seven-step plan for achieving a more integrated balance in daily living.

1. Identify your imbalance and recognize your current mind-set: If you felt as fulfilled as you would like, what would be different? What is the exact gap between where you are now and where you want to be? This identification may be the most difficult step to take; however, it is essential. Take the time to work through it, and name the gap. Then, notice the way you are looking at any particular issue (e.g., "My schedule won't allow me any time for myself."). The process begins with awareness of a trapped perspective.

2. Brainstorm new perspectives: Reexamine your viewpoint. Are you driving your choices, or does someone or something else have the wheel - habits, time-wasting activities, limiting beliefs, low energy, the need for additional skills? Stretch your boundaries to include new ideas - without attachment to any one option. Make a "What if" list (e.g., What if I began my dream job part time, hired an assistant, dropped out of a group or committee, etc.). Here is a great example: What could you do with the hour you normally spend watching TV each day - gaining you the equivalent of more than three 8-hour work days each month?

Ask yourself these questions: "What has been my most effective response to the greatest challenges in my lifetime?" "What is one thing I could alter in my environment today that may be having a negative impact on me spiritually, emotionally, or physically?"

3. Imagine living from your new perspectives: Here, your power of choice begins to expand. Imagine viewing your life through the window of your new choices. Visualize and mentally inhabit different perspectives. Live each of these viewpoints for a moment, as if you were trying on a new garment. What does each one feel like?

4. Choose one perspective: This is your gateway to life-changing action. Now that you've tried on a few new perspectives, choose your favorite. You can always go back to others; however, for now, choose one to live with for a month. You will be moving closer to balance.

5. Design a personal action plan: What additional skills and resources will you need? What will be the advantages or disadvantages in all the key areas of your life? What will be the first step of your plan, and when will you begin? What are you willing to take ownership of in order to achieve the balance and fulfillment you desire? Write out a plan that you can easily manage and carry out over the next month.

6. Make a commitment to your plan: Commitment enhances resolve, determination, and mental strength. Without commitment, our plans are external to us, and we remain trapped in uncertainty and fear. When we commit to a plan of action, we move beyond choice. We step into new territory, unwilling to turn back from keeping our desires, values, and actions in harmony with one another.

7. Take massive action: This process is about accepting responsibility for your well-being and taking control of your life. You have identified limiting viewpoints and mentally "tried on" new perspectives. You have become aware of new options, made a plan, and made a commitment. Now, work your plan intensely each day. Read all the liturature targeted to your area of interest or intent, and integrate the information into your life daily. Learn from mistakes, restructure your plan as needed, and gain from your efforts the most valuable asset you will ever own: experience. Your experience is life's instant feedback manual. It uncovers options and contains the awareness of choice that will lead you toward greater balance and wholeness.

The power of choice begins with awareness. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), "The outward freedom that we shall attain will only be in exact proportion to the inward freedom to which we may have grown at a given moment."

When you accept this responsibility, not ever delegating your power of choice to another, you place yourself in charge of your outcomes. Your actions will begin to lead you toward additional possibilities and options for creating a more balanced and fulfilling life. The process continues.


Wishing you blessings and success!