Balance

As a journalist, I worked in an office—in a cubicle surrounded by other workers. I was on the phone a lot, and I traveled a lot. I had to be vigilant in carving out solitude for myself. I exercised care in scheduling even the fun activities of my life so I could have some balance for my extroverted and my introverted sides.

Now that I’m a life coach, I work from home (most coaching is done by telephone). And I have more solitude than ever before. Now I need to take care that I get enough social time each week. I carve out enough time for my fiancé, my friends, my kids and grandkids—and for the groups and activities I choose so I have balance in my life.

I don’t want all solitude nor do I want my days and nights filled with group activities. It’s about balance.

So much to balance
You need to balance solitude and group time. You also will want to get enough rest and relaxation to offset the high stress of your career. You want balance or equity between the various parts of your life: intellectual, social/interpersonal, emotional, physical, vocational, spiritual and financial. You may design a circle that has different aspects in each of the pie-shaped areas inside it; that’s your choice.

Keep in mind that balance doesn’t mean spending exactly the same amount of time on each aspect of your life. You know what your needs are. Remember, too, that you’ll need to tweak the balance. Life changes. You change. What you need today may not be what you need a year from now.

What you need to feel centered or grounded is not the same as what I need. It’s different from what your partner or kids need. It’s important that you determine what feels right to you—you’re the only one who knows what that is.

Start today. Draw a circle with the different parts of your life as pieces of the pie. Or journal or simply list the various areas. Then determine how much time you now give each aspect of your life—and how much you want to give it. And go for it! Make the changes that work for you.

Taking charge of your life feels so good, doesn’t it?