Recently I read an article on the best places to live, and the winner wasn't Tahiti. It was Finland. A Finnish friend explained to me that Finland is a country where "you do not have to worry about anything."The government takes care of everything for you, and life is easy." Interestingly enough, Finland also has the distinction of having one of the world's highest rates for depression and suicide. Similarly, a Far Eastern client explained that, in authoritarian societies, life now is better than it was in the past. The analogy he used was that "it is better to be a bird in a cage than one on skewers". Finally, Ford Motor Company, who did not receive stimulus money, has been doing better, in terms of sales, quarter after quarter, than its peers that did accept government funds. Quite possibly, lack of government intervention did not hamper its success.
The point I wish to make in both my brief introductory paragraph and the one above is two-fold:
- You need to seek balance in life regardless of your external circumstances.
- Whatever life goals you have set for yourself, take and keep stock of your skills and the tools at your disposal FIRST. Relying on intervention, whether governmental, familial, or divine, may take a while.
And now...Onwards and upwards
A Balanced Life
As you may have surmised from my previous newsletters, pursuing a fearless and passionate life is no easy task. You move from one assignment to the other, keep track of your progress, acknowledge and cherish your interim accomplishments. Yet life, with its many demands and stimuli, makes it all too easy to find yourself off balance.
You may lose sight of priorities, become overwhelmed with information, and feel apprehensive about the tasks ahead of you. Then there are those tasks that have become past due, that are starting to feel like a burden on your shoulders. All of this leads to frustration, disappointment, stress.
At a time like this, take a deep breath, look at where you are right now, and determine if any parts of your life are out of balance. This refers not only to aspects of your lives you have been neglecting but also those you have been unnecessarily micromanaging. You need to look for "imbalances" in all areas of your life: your body, mind, support system, resources, etc.
Only then you can devise a plan that allows you greater probability to really 'have it all'.
HOMEWORK - The Wheel of Life
The "Wheel of Life" is often used in coaching as a personal and professional assessment tool. Clients have benefited from it and have given me very positive feedback on its effectiveness. So here it is, step by step:
PART 1 - Draw your Life
Draw the image below on a piece of paper.
Wheel of Life - Personal Assessment Tool
PART 2 - Grade Your Life
Take a look at the indicative areas of life I have identified on the wheel. Decide whether or not they apply to you. This exercise assumes that you will be happy and fulfilled if you can find the right balance of attention for each of these areas. Therefore, carefully personalize as needed.
On a scale of 0 (low) to 10 (high) write on the wheel the amount of attention you are devoting to each area.
Now join up the marks around the circle. Does your Life Wheel look and feel balanced?
PART 3 - Plot Your Ideal Life
It's time to consider your ideal level in each area of your life.
A balanced life does not mean getting 10 in each life area: some areas need more attention and focus than others at any time. And inevitably you will need to make choices and compromises, as your time and energy are not in unlimited supply!
So the question is, what would the ideal level of attention be for each area of your life ?
Plot the "ideal" scores for each area of your life on the wheel.
PART 4 - Mind the Gap
Now you have a visual representation of your current life balance and your ideal life balance. What are the gaps? These are the areas of your life that need attention. And remember that gaps can go both ways. There are almost certainly areas that are not getting as much attention as you'd like. However there may also be areas where you're putting in more effort than you'd ideally like. These areas are sapping energy and enthusiasm that may better be directed elsewhere.
PART 5 - Plan your Life
Once you have identified the areas that need attention, it's time to plan the actions needed to work on regaining balance. Starting with the neglected areas, what things do you need to start doing to regain balance? In the areas that currently sap your energy and time, what can you STOP doing or reprioritize or delegate to someone else?
Make a commitment to these actions by writing them on your worksheet.
PART 6 - Do it.
