What Does Balance Mean to You?

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” ~Jana Kingsford

I had an opportunity recently to sit in on a group coaching call that one of my colleagues was hosting. He was teaching a segment on the concept of balance. Which happens to be a subject I love discussing because I’ve discovered in my years of coaching that most people struggle with balance more than they realize and it is often because they don’t understand it for themselves. Balance is so needed in our busy lives and yet so misunderstood.

It was interesting to hear his take on the concept. As he talked about defining balance and customizing our routines to fit, I couldn’t have agreed more!

If you’ve ever heard me speak on the topic of creating your ideal life, you know I think words like balance, success and even happiness must be defined by each of us for ourselves. When you base them on someone else’s ideals, you usually end up feeling discontent. Yes, you can have it all, but you must know what all means to you. And that happens through clearly defining it for yourself because words are just words; it is their definition that gives them power.  

Now back to balance... As my colleague was bringing his training to a close, he asked me to leave the group with some final words on the topic. To which I shared what I will share with you now - a surefire strategy for creating your definition of balance, to leave you feeling fulfilled and peaceful, rather than disenchanted and burnt out. Even when you are exhausted from a long day, you can still have a sense of satisfaction from the balance you feel, if you follow this formula.

Let me first say, one of the most misunderstood ideas of balance is that it means you must spend equal amounts of time on each area of your life. Not only would that be hard to do but it simply isn’t necessary to feel a sense of balance. What makes you feel out of balance is when the amount of time, energy and effort is not matching the level of importance you give to what you value in your life. But even still, don’t mistake quantity with quality here. It is not necessarily the quantity of time that makes the difference either, it is the quality of focused energy and effort that makes an even bigger impact.

So, to define balance for yourself, you must first know what you value most in your life. Think about your relationships, your contribution to the world and your own personal growth. Most things we value will usually fit in one of these categories. Then identify the level of importance each holds. Once you’ve done that, you can determine the amount of time, energy and effort you will give to them. When the level of importance and the time, energy or effort spent are a match, then you will find life is in balance.

For example, if you say you value your health and that it is extremely important to you, but you never exercise, you don’t get enough sleep, or you can’t even manage to get up from your desk to take a break during the workday, then you are not in balance because the time, energy and effort are not matching the importance level of your health. This is a common way people get out of balance. They sacrifice and skimp on their self-care to give their time, energy, and efforts to their job. But the truth is, not only would they be better at their job but also happier and more in balance in their lives, if they customized their daily routine to include more time, energy and effort for their health, self-care, or personal growth.

You get the idea, right? So now, spend some time this week figuring out what balance means to you. And remember, balance comes from first identifying what you value. Assigning those values a level of importance then making sure the quality of time, energy, and effort you spend on them match the level of importance. If you can do that, I believe you will be able to create a surprising sense of balance in your life.  

Would you like to be a part of a group like the one I described in this article? So that you too can learn concepts that will help you create and implement a plan to transform your life? Join the Success Mastery Group today!