As the close of another year approaches I wanted to take a moment to share with you 5 Tips for Finding More Balance--an excerpt from my web site, The Balance Factor.
My wish to all is a safe and happy new year, and make 2009 that year of change, transition and acceptance. Finding a better balance in your life begins with you!
Namaste,
Michael
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Organize
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Simplify
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Focus
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Seek Opportunities
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Appreciate
Tip #1 - Organize
Life is busy. There are so many things to be done--we all have jobs, friends, families, and so many other responsibilities. Within your life space do you still have time for genuinely new ideas? Is your mind preoccupied by distracting thoughts? Do you worry? Do you find yourself with great ideas or solutions to problems, but they never come to fruition? Perhaps it's time for you to get organized!
While it often appears that our need for organization is mostly outside of ourselves (i.e., an organized home, office, calendar, etc.), it is important to keep the inside organized as well.
The exterior of your life is a direct reflection of the interior of it.
Sure, clean your house, your office space, your car, but also take the time to clean your internal clutter. By “cleaning house” on the inside, you create the opportunity to cleanse your mind, body, and spirit. This, in turn, will help to balance your energies and stimulate more creativity.
There are several ways to internally cleanse and organize, and since we are all unique individuals you must find out which method(s) work best for you. Here are some helpful ways to get organized:
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Try to clear up any "emotional baggage" you may be carrying with you. Meeting with a counselor or therapist is an excellent vehicle for this activity as they have been trained to help you resolve issues from your past which are directly affecting your present.
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Regular exercise is a vital ingredient for good health. Exercise revitalizes the mind and spirit as well as the body. Be sure to move your body several times a week (walking is great exercise!), and balance exercise with a healthy well-balanced eating plan right for you.
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If you find that your mind is busy or pre-occupied much of the time, take a moment and write down those things which occupy your mind. Journaling is a fantastic way of doing this. Write down both positive thoughts (dreams, goals, creative ideas) as well as negative thoughts (feelings of anger or frustration, worry, personal problems). The important thing is to get them out of your head and into the 3rd dimension. This action brings forth two direct benefits: 1) you can "make room" in your mind for more creative energy (clearing); and 2) you can actually deal with your thoughts now that you've taken the time to identify them. If they are negative thoughts, take them to your counselor. If they are positive thoughts, create them into proactive goals for your life and make them happen!
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If you feel like you need to get your personal calendar in order, sit down and set-up a weekly schedule for yourself and follow it; however, don't fill every hour of every day. Build-in time for "planned spontaneity" so that you can relax and just do what you feel at that moment. Flexibility is a skill that comes with practice. Weekends or days off may be the best time to block out for spontaneity.
Tip # 2 - Simplify
Everyone wants to simplify their life. But how? Simplifying is not such an easy task. What "goes"? What "stays"?
Simplifying your life may start with your daily routine. A key to simplifying is to prioritize your activities based on what you can realistically accomplish today. Often, we will create tasks which are very complex and time consuming, when we can feel more progress occur if we simply accomplish the first step of a larger task - by taking "baby steps". Completing one step at a time is especially true tackling large projects.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
When we start to simplify, we often realize that much of what we actually need is far less that what we want. Our society is still largely founded on acquiring material possessions (stuff), and that is somehow supposed to measure our success. But remember, "He who dies with the most toys, still dies!"
If you have a lot of things, you need to keep track of them, manage them, move them, etc. More stuff creates busy, and busy creates stress. Did you realized that stress is the leading cause of disease and sickness in our world? Get rid of the stress!
How do you reduce stress? Simplify. Clean out your life and pass it on! Take that extra clothing and donate it to the nearest homeless shelter. Take those extra items lying around the house collecting dust and pass them on to someone who can use them. Take time to eliminate clutter. Simplify your choices; reduce your options; keep only what you really need. Living simply means keeping your wants balanced with your needs.
"Live simply so others may simply live." - Mother Theresa
Tip # 3 - Focus
Maintaining focus in this busy world is not an easy task. By following Tip #1 (Organize) & #2 (Simplify), you are now better positioned to handle Tip #3 - Focus. To focus requires concentration, and concentration is easier with less distractions. Eliminating your distractions is a key to acquiring and maintaining focus.
When you focus your energy and thoughts on something or someone you participate in a process called intimate engagement. Intimate engagement allows you to focus on the details of a task, situation, event, or person. This focused energy allows your mind to calm itself and will often initiate a state of flow. If you are able to maintain flow, you will have a better chance of tapping your true creative potential since you will be connected to your truest and purest gifts.
Remember that when you focus your energy on something or someone, you cause an effect--and effects have results. Therefore, be sure to choose carefully those thoughts, things, and people which receive your focus and attention.
If you find yourself pulled between many ideas and thoughts at the same time, learn how to multi-task by prioritizing your ideas and forming them into “projects”. By creating projects, we focus on energy on a series of tasks or ideas that will manifest a specific outcome. This can significantly help you organize your ideas and support their coming to fruition. Plus, putting yourself on a self-directed behavior modification plan will help you give yourself guidance and support without judgment.
That which you pay attention to expands, so pay attention only to those thoughts and ideas which help you to grow.
Tip # 4 - Seek Opportunities
Opportunity is a golden word; and often we equate opportunity with chance, luck, and happenstance. However, opportunity can come as a direct result of your own action. In fact, creating more opportunity starts with you.
By actively seeking opportunities, we open ourselves up to more experiences. Learning is a life-long process, and you can choose to embrace life and all its changes, or you can wait for your life to change you. Which would you prefer?
By being proactive in our approach to educating ourselves about the world around us, we give ourselves the freedom to experience more opportunities than we ever dreamed possible. Plus, the more experience we have, the more we will learn about ourselves and grow. Prepare yourself for opportunity--do the work!
Opportunity favors the prepared mind.
Tip # 5 - Appreciate
When was the last time you thanked someone for just "being themselves"? It is important to take the time to appreciate people, things, experiences, and moments.
Appreciation may or may not come naturally to you, but you will find that if you stop and think about how important the people in your current life space are to your present existence, you may be surprised. Send a simple card, jot a quick email message, send a quick "Thinking of you" IM, or just give someone a call - tell them how much you appreciate them and how important they are to you. Have you ever had someone do that to you? It feels fantastic!
By expressing gratitude we bring more of that energy into our lives. Being thankful creates a spirit of genuine appreciation and an "attitude of gratitude". Feelings of goodwill always attract more of the same energy. It's the Law of Attraction!
Create a world of thankfulness and gratitude. Say, "Thank you," more often and appreciate what is good.
| Appreciate every moment and every person, for each day we are making memories. |
This past week I had an interesting coffee conversation with a friend about "what kind of a lives" we were living. Especially in these times of economic stress it's quite common for people to re-examine their lives and think carefully about their priorities, so this conversation was both timely and apropos. We both shared highlights of our current life events including our careers, relationships, special "projects" or interests, and also our hopes and dreams for the future--a good time to pause and ponder, something I truly enjoy doing as much as possible!
