Life Balance: Myth or Manageable?

This weekend I was honored to be able to speak at a convention on life balance and since this week we were unable to have a guest blogger due to her personal issues, I figured I would share with you guys a snippet of what I discussed that day. 
 
So, what comes to mind when you think of life balance?
 
Unrealistic? Fantasy? Possible but not probable?
 
Let me break it to you…
 
While it takes practice, balance is possible and doesn’t have to involve sacrificing what you love most. 
 
But first we need to start at the foundation and define what life balance actually means. The notion that it means equal time is outdated and honestly, unrealistic for many. The best definition I have heard was from Christy Wright who defined it as “doing the right thing at the right time”. 
 
What does that actually mean? Let’s dissect it. 
 
First, we need to determine what the “right thing” means. The right thing means doing what is important at the time it is important because doing the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. 
 
So, if we are at home with our family, the “right thing” is being present with them instead of distracted by work or our phones. If we are at work, that means the “right thing” is being focused on our work tasks and obligations. 
 
Often, we struggle with being one place but having our mind consumed with another place.
 
 I remember when my oldest was born and I went back to work full time. Most of the time that I was at work I was thinking about him but when I was with him, I was worrying about work. In reality, I was mentally never where my feet were and that made me miss out on important aspects of my life. 
 
Essentially, the first step of balance is mentally being where your feet are. 
 
Next, we need to assess where our feet need to be. 
 
Let’s do a little exercise. Write down what your top three priorities in life are right now. Now, write down the top three areas where most of you time and attention are. 
 
Do they line up? If not, then how can we make the two line up because in order to have balance, our time and attention needs to reflect what our priorities are. 
 
The best way to do that? Set boundaries. 
 
You know I LOVE talking about boundaries. Maybe that is why I created a whole course focused on boundaries ;). For those things that are not our priorities, we need to set boundaries to protect our time and attention. If you struggle with boundaries, you NEED this course.
 
Balance also involves maintaining self-care. We can’t pour from an empty cup and in order to do all the things, we need to make sure we take care of ourselves enough to be able to handle life. Self-care doesn’t mean just spa days, it also means going to yearly doctor’s appointments, having a clean house and taking time to nurture your soul. If you want more information about this, I have written a lot of posts about this topic so feel free to review them. 
 
Let’s recap, in order to maintain balance we need to establish our priorities, set boundaries and practice self-care. 
 
Easier said than done I know but once you get there, maintaining the balance will be much easier. Start small and gradually make changes. You can do it!