Monthly Archives: July 2017

5 Steps to Overcoming the Challenges To A Balanced Life

What is a balanced life?
Can we ever achieve it?

A wise man said to me just recently that a completely balanced life is impossible to achieve, but I believe that we can take steps to make sure that it not completely unbalanced.

A very useful exercise is the “Wheel of Life” where you look at specific areas of your life and rate them accordingly. It is improbable if you joined the numbers on this wheel that you would see a perfectly balanced circle, although it is my belief that if you are aware of deficits, you can do something about improving that area. However one should also consider that balance consists of bringing the head and the heart into alignment.

The biggest challenge for many people is being present. One way to be present is to cut back on extra responsibilities and focus on what is really important to you. Look at your routines and prioritise. Eliminate or minimise what is not that important.

The next challenge is taking care of your body. Got a cold or flu? Then don’t “soldier on” as the ad says. Give yourself some down time or “me time” and consider if you continue to go to work whilst unwell, your presence may be compromising someone else’s health if they have an at risk immune system. Review your diet and lifestyle and choose not to eat highly processed foods and if you have the funds, book yourself in for a regular massage or Reiki to ease any tension stored in the body.

What’s your passion – your heart’s desire? Creativity will help you bring your life back into balance and studies show that regular meditation can increase your creativity whilst at the same time decreasing your stress response.

Another important element to consider in balancing your life is Patience. Life can get busy, there are the demands of work, home children…. the daily commute….

My Reiki practice includes the daily reflection on the precepts…

Just for today, refrain from worry – accept.
Just for today, refrain from anger – accept.
Honour your parents, teachers and elders.
Count your blessings.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to every living thing.
Mikao Usui

At times it seems like life is getting overly complicated and what may seem like a counter intuitive strategy, Simplicity is the key to getting back into some semblance of balance. Take a moment, 15 minutes would be ideal, to audit your work, relationships, diet and whatever else seems to be out of kilter.

Could you teach someone else how to manage these areas in a simple way?

For example, do you follow a difficult and time consuming diet/eating plan?

Look at whether you are consuming foods or eating at irregular times that contribute to increased stress levels and weakening your immune system.

Realistically, a work/life balance will fluctuate. There will be ebb and flow in various areas of your life and what works for you in bringing back some balance won’t necessarily work for others, but ultimately to create more balance in your life, you need to go within and reflect upon how much responsibility you will take to overcome these challenges.

Mapping your Journey

Regardless of whether you use a GPS or a paper map, it is always interesting to review past journeys and to peruse which route to take for future ones.

Looking at where you have been, are there any milestones or waypoints that stand out?

Did the trip go as planned or did you have to be flexible and overcome uncertainty to end up where you are now?

Yet, you may have felt a sense of excitement when you discovered a road that led you to some spectacular scenery or a chance meeting with someone. Many of us have discovered that the GPS is not infallible and it has resulted in some interesting dead ends. There is an element of risk when using the GPS in unfamiliar surroundings and having a paper map tucked away somewhere will help you navigate in the face of uncertainty if that is what you are seeking.

What would happen if you relied entirely on the GPS or map?

How would it be if you got back to your internal compass and found that this gave you increased choices?

I remember a quote in a training many years ago that resonated with me…. “ Don’t wish life was easier, wish it was better.”

Thinking Differently

Not everyone is traveling the same path… that would be quite boring, not to mention crowded. Quite some time ago I decided to take a different path to what was expected of me and I’m still traveling.

Let’s celebrate those who embrace thinking differently. Recently I came across an interesting topic on the Law of Diffusion of Innovation.

It was exciting to discover that just 2% of the population are likely to be innovators. These people are more likely to be risk takers and have a mindset that sees failure as a setback. 13% of the population are inclined to be early adopters of the innovations, and then we start to see the bell curve form with 34% on each side of the peak as an early majority/cynical majority with the remaining 16% suspicious about the innovations and the inventors.

Martin Luther King told us about what he believed and gave us the famous quote “I have a dream”….it wasn’t a plan worked out to the nth degree, but more of a vision.  Over 250,000 people turned up to listen to him on that day and those words still inspire many thousands more some 54 years later. Another example of a dream is the Wright brothers who were driven by their belief that they could fly way back in 1903.

I hold the belief that the therapies that I offer and teach are part of a much greater picture. Not everyone will share that same belief, and that I accept that. The mind body balance is something that is starting to be explored in more detail by the scientific community and I’m grateful for that.  Recently I revisited an old vision book from 2009 and was pleasantly surprised to read that my vision is still pretty much the same.

At the top of one page I had written  “Vision – Life of no regret….Not a dress rehearsal…. Make it the best it can be” and underneath was  “To create a retreat centre for therapists and teachers to recover from nervous/mental exhaustion.”
Certainly there are a few more steps to take in fulfilling that vision and the big one will be building a suitable place for people to stay, but I feel sure that with continued belief the universe will provide the means for this to happen.