A lot has been written about the need for work/life balance. Everywhere you turn there are articles, social commentary and discussions about the need to find a
healthy balance between our family or 'me' time and the time we spend at work.
There is even a new credit card commercial advocating the use of "just one day" of our paid but unused vacation days as a means to bring more balance into our lives. Even I bought into this pseudo socioeconomic philosophy and have written and published at least a half dozen articles on the need for work/life balance.
So many people have lost sight of the truly important things in life and are so focused on work and the ever pressing need to do more with less that it has become obvious to even the major corporate giants that there is value (and revenue) in promoting work/life balance.
And leverage it they do! Just like we are told we're not young enough, pretty enough, thin enough, lack enough 'stuff' or could live in a bigger or better way, now the propaganda is that we suffer from the inability to manage our priorities properly and that we are somehow 'less than' because we don't play more or have control over the ever elusive work/life balance.
In fact, balance has nothing to do with the amount of hours you work versus the amount of hours you play. It matters not how you parse out your time or who you spend it with. No, balance is all about how you feel on the inside; and the quest for true balance is an intensely personal one.
True balance means we are centered and when we are centered, everything is easier. We attract better people into our lives. We are less stressed. We are filled with joy, happiness and gratitude. We don't hold grudges or engage in arguments because our egos have no need to justify our position on anything. More importantly it no longer matters what others think of us. It only matters what we think of ourselves.
Being centered is the most incredible feeling. When we are centered, we automatically adjust our priorities. We release anything that does not serve us in a positive way and we understand that everything is temporary and the only thing that truly matters are the relationships we nurture and how much of a light we are in the world.
Like walking a balance beam, being centered doesn't mean you don't occasionally fall off. For example, even I catch myself feeling momentarily irritated by some erratic or super slow driver, but then I stop and think 'am I really in such a hurry?' Since the answer is nearly always 'no', I can release the irritation, pull myself back to center and regain my balance.
So how does one become centered? As is the case for most things, awareness is more than half the battle. When we are aware of our ego and can control it, we move toward the center. When we are able to recognize the chatter in our minds as being detrimental and then consciously switch it to a more positive thought string, we move toward the center.
When we release the past and live in the present moment, we move toward the center. And when we can express gratitude for all that occurs in our lives - even when we don't understand - then and only then shall we feel centered and experience true balance.
The truth is, we are all capable of being centered and achieving true balance. Not only are we capable, it is our right as human beings. Just don't let the media or anyone else (especially not that voice in your head) convince you to feel 'less than' for your life choices, how you choose to set your priorities or how you live your life. Seek out your own center and find true balance and you too will feel happier than you can imagine....
We stumbled across an amazing app that we just have to share! As you move toward center and find true balance, you will free up time left and right. (We did!) Soon you'll find that you are looking for more fun things to do in your spare time.
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