As a life coach, I advocate passionately for life balance. My view of a rich and rewarding life has white space, time for reflection and recovery, and full engagement with present moments as they come and go. I also believe that a rich and rewarding life is active, productive, and has concrete goals that shape our daily choices in pursuit of a higher purpose.
As a life coach, I advocate passionately for life balance. My view of a rich and rewarding life has white space, time for reflection and recovery, and full engagement with present moments as they come and go. I also believe that a rich and rewarding life is active, productive, and has concrete goals that shape our daily choices in pursuit of a higher purpose.
Last week I introduced Project B70, a vision of ramping up to my 70th birthday next August. As I launched a new email series to share and engage with others around that topic, and as I brainstormed a bucket list of fun things to try during the year, I began to feel the familiar twinge in the pit of my stomach. Then my friend Melisse echoed the twinge by commenting, "I think I am on overload." She shared the wealth of delightful activities on her calendar. She wants to share Project B70 too, but wonders whether she can "keep up."
OK, it's time to breathe. I wonder that as well. As I chase the elusive butterfly of applying to and registering for college before fall classes begin, I ask why I am adding new things when I already have enough to keep me going. That question comes up periodically for me, and I suspect it does for you as well.
As I start writing about Project B70, I may move weekly Reflections to every other week. If I get into the music appreciation class, I may slow down the self-paced online program I am also taking. If I decide to volunteer for Hospice, I want to clear space on my schedule for long-term commitment. I probably won't take a university class and add a new volunteer role at the same time.
A rich and rewarding life is, for me, a work in progress. It takes constant monitoring and adjustment between white space, a calm pace, time to meditate and reflect...and a level of productive activity that keeps mind, body, and spirit moving, challenging the dampening effects of inertia, gravity, and time.
Overload and underload are both disabling, each in its own way. Which is more common for you? How do you deal with the challenges that are uniquely your own?
