How Balanced is Your Life?
By Dr. Jeff Bartlett
 Life has its ups and downs; there is no doubt about it. So at this moment in your life are you happy with where you are? Do you wake up every morning feeling refreshed and on purpose? Are you excited to go to work everyday, or are you dreading the thought of work and your daily routine? Do you feel that your life is in balance? Finding balance in your life is probably one of the most important health principles we could recommend because it encompasses the whole picture of what we call "wellness". For instance, if you eat well and exercise regularly, but neglect your emotional needs, this creates an imbalance in your life. If you habitually ignore certain areas in your life, it is impossible to succeed in the areas that you do focus on. Life often seems like a balancing act... working at one or more jobs, fighting long commutes, managing a household, attending school or other training, raising one or more children, and taking care of aging parents. The days often seem to last long into the night and vacation and leisure time seem to be consumed with issues other than relaxation and personal fulfillment. So the big question is "How much is work overtaking your personal life, and how much of your personal life is affected by the stress of trying to balance all the responsibilities in your life?"
A recent study of more than 50,000 employees from a variety of manufacturing and service organizations found that two out of every five employees are dissatisfied with the balance between their work and their personal lives. The lack of balance "is due to long work hours, changing demographics, more time in the car, the deterioration of boundaries between work and home, and increased work pressure," says the study's author, Bruce Katcher, president of the Discovery Group, a management consulting firm. The principles of life simply cannot be ignored. Anytime you feel out of balance in any of the eight areas of life--spiritual, mental, career/professional, financial, social, community, family, or health/physical--you waiver from your state of contentment and generate negativity, fear, and guilt.
Many teachers in the personal development field talk about the "Balance Wheel." I would like you to try a simple test, which will help you discover how in or out of balance your life is at this very moment. Once you have a realization of those areas you neglect, then you'll have a clear understanding of where you need invest more of your time and attention. Let's create the analogy that the eight areas of your life are like eight spokes on a wheel. Now, I would like you to take a moment, grab a piece of blank paper, and create your own wheel with eight spokes, just like the diagram below. Create a circle with eight spokes and label each spoke. Please be as honest with yourself as you can. On a scale of one-to-ten (the center of the circle is zero, and the outer portion is 10.) I want you to rank each area in terms of how much effort, consciousness, and energy you put towards each topic (be as honest as you can). Zero means no effort, and ten means 100% commitment. Now beginning with work, decide how invested you are in each area. In other words, how much time and energy (both physical and mental) are you giving to that area? Once you have decided on your level, count the markers on that spoke from the middle towards the outer rim of the wheel. If you feel your investment in work is 7 then you will count 7 markers from the centre along that spoke and then mark it with an X. Do this for each spoke in turn. When you have all 8 spokes marked you will have a picture of the balance of your life.
Have You Finished Your Diagram Yet?
So how does your wheel look? Is the wheel in complete balance? Are all the spokes the same length? Or are one or two of the spokes very short? Metaphorically speaking, if this wheel was on your car, how smooth would the ride be? I know this may have been difficult to do, but I hope you are now realizing that there are areas in your life that you could put more attention towards. Remember, neglecting one spoke will take your life out of balance. I promise you this, if you are able to convert what you've learned from this exercise into real life changes so that you put equal value, time and effort into each area, you can and will live a happier, more energetic life.
Key Points to Finding Balance in Your Life
1. Exercise
Go to Curves. Spend time outdoors... it's a good balance to life in the city. Take a walk in a city park, take a drive in the country or plan a relaxing weekend getaway in the mountains or at the beach. Turn the cellular phone off and enjoy the serenity. Breathe deeply and, for a few minutes, let go of all your worries. Exercising and re-energizing yourself by doing something completely different will help you feel better.
2. Eat well
If you find that you've developed a habit of drinking or eating foods with no nutritional value, commit to eating healthier, organic foods. If you're not making the time to eat regular, balanced meals, it's time to re-prioritize. It's not always necessary to make major lifestyle changes; even minor adjustments can improve your health and well-being. Please see our past articles for details.
3. Allocate your time properly
Delegating and multi-tasking are key components to getting your life on track. Have you heard the expression that "we spend 80% of our time on tasks that get us only 20% of our results." Say "no" to useless tasks that get you nowhere. Prioritize your work assignments and leisure activities. Perfect your time management skills and your life will become more balanced.
4. Focus on yourself (make time for yourself)
Create opportunities for relaxation and pleasure. For example, find something that classifies as 'me-time' like getting your nails done, going out with the girls for coffee, gardening, evening walks, and the list goes on... Take a break when you need one. Plan a vacation when you feel you need to refresh yourself. Just the act of researching and thinking about it will recharge your batteries and offset the stressors in your life.
5. Be creative
Find a new hobby that will enhance your creativity. Try your hand at drawing, painting, stamping, writing or photography. You may be surprised at how relaxing it can be.
6. Make contact with people you care about
Create opportunities to connect with people you care about. Call, send e-mail or visit. Send cards, clippings or photos or write letters, if that's something you find relaxing. The continuity of past, present and future will help you feel grounded and balanced. I personally make it a goal to call my closest friends once a month, and my family once a week.
7. Meet people
Curves is the perfect place to meet new and amazing women! It's important to socialize. Spending so much time working that you have no energy for other pursuits is not beneficial. To keep your work and personal life balanced, you need to meet new people, and exercise your wit, wisdom and social skills.
8. Plan a date
Schedule a weekly date with your significant other. For instance, I have date night with my wife every Thursday night at 7:00pm sharp...no exceptions!!! Call your partner from work early in the week to plan that Thursday evening dinner out together, and the anticipation will add a spark to your relationship.
9. Make plans
Avoid working late and watching T.V. Make plans to get out of the house and enjoy what life has to offer. Whether you plan to go out for a walk with your hubby, work out at Curves, or volunteer at a local shelter; making plans allows you to shift emotional and mental gears.
10. Listen to your body
If you feel ill or tired, do something about it. You're not doing anyone any good by turning up at work grumpy and with low energy. If you feel exhausted or are suffering from insomnia, remember that stress can manifest itself in physical symptoms. If stress is the culprit, working out is the best way to burn it off!
11. Develop your support system
Remember, your family is your number one support team. Also, have a Curves "go-to" friend or staff member, and/or a best friend you can talk to who will not judge or criticize. In regards to your career, find a mentor to help guide you to your ultimate career goal. Celebrate your successes and you may find your life is more balanced than you thought.
Many of us are workaholics and need to find the right balance of work and personal obligations. Just a few small changes may be enough to make you feel more in control of your life, more relaxed and more fulfilled. For the good of your physical, mental and emotional health, assess all your needs and prioritize what's important to you. The benefits of achieving balance in your life will be well worth it. In an ideal world you would be fully invested (mentally and physically) in all areas of your life and your diagram would resemble the outer circle. In reality it is more likely that your circle will be leaning towards one (or maybe two) spokes and work is dominating. Remember, we all must have some stress in our lives but the key to happiness is to strive for balance. A balanced life consists of work time, family time, relaxation time, hobbies, and exercise. You can make it your reality...one step at a time.
Here is an example of my daily action steps to find balance in my life:
8 SPOKES OF LIFE DAILY ACTION STEPS |
| 1 |
Spiritual |
Morning Meditation & Affirmations: 6:00AM |
| 2 |
Mental |
Read for 1/2 hour before bed. |
| 3 |
Career |
Find fulfillment in my job. |
| 4 |
Financial |
Improve my skills to increase my value at work. |
| 5 |
Physical |
Work out at 4:00pm every M, W, F, and jog T and Th. |
| 6 |
Family |
Call my parents Sunday night 6:00PM |
| 7 |
Community |
Focus: "How will I improve someone's life today?" |
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Patricia's Success Story
I Never Thought Exercise Could Be So Much Fun!
January 1, 2002, at 236 lbs, I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital for angina and within five days, I had two stents put in my right coronary artery. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and borderline Type II diabetes. My doctor said it was time to get on a diet and exercise program. I tried several gyms and other programs, but after they showed you around the first time, you never saw the staff any more. I would always have to adjust a different machine before each exercise--no music--no motivation (boring). I did manage to lose 20 lbs in 1-1/2 years.
In early June 2003, while I was at the Sunnyvale Art & Wine Festival I saw the Curves booth. I remembered seeing the T.V. commercials about this new way to work out and lose weight and inches. After a short talk with them, I signed up to check it out. Then on June 17, 2003 I went to Curves. When I heard the upbeat music and only 30 minutes to workout, I could hardly wait to get started and signed up on the spot. As it turned out, this was the best choice I could have made. Since I joined (at 216 lbs), and for the past 2 years now, I start my day three times a week at Curves. I now eat healthy, watch my portions, and get regular exercise. Working out at Curves has given me so much energy that I have been able to extend my daily hikes to over five miles a day now. My doctor is very pleased with my progress. This is the first time I have been able to lose inches and weight over a long period of time.
The staff always says hello and goodbye every day I'm there. They are great. Since I am a morning person, I especially want to commend Carol for her friendship and encouragement. I have met so many wonderful women and also old acquaintances. The atmosphere is perfect for exercising. I really enjoy the upbeat music. Curves has made me change my outlook on life, and I now look forward to each day happier, healthier, smaller and with more energy. I always look forward to going to Curves, and I recommend it to everyone. I never thought exercise would be so much fun!
Patricia (Pat) Raudebaugh
Curves of Sunnyvale, CA
Do YOU have a success story you'd like to contribute? Just send us your story (be sure to include your phone number and email address) and we'll contact you to let you know when it will appear.
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