A couple of people now have asked me how I stay balanced. I was taken aback by this deep question with both flattery and confusion at first. I had never viewed myself as a “balanced person”, however, these questions required me to really dig deep and ponder how I have been successful and content with the life that I lead.
Below are my personal beliefs and vital components in my everyday life that enable me to maintain balance while also having fun. Fun is emphasized because a lot of people think that you can’t achieve both of these ingredients simultaneously, however, I am here to prove you peeps wrong…!
Make a Plan
I believe that I am a “live in the moment” type of person but the way I see it, it also never hurts to have a plan. Whether it is making a “To-Do List” or using a daily agenda, this is how I personally stay on track and make progress. Planning is a very central part of my life. It is the reason I make my appointments on time, meet necessary deadlines, and it is crucial to achieving my short and long-term goals. If you don’t write it down, it won’t happen. The only concern I have with planning is some people can get carried away with the idea that they are going to do something without actually following through. I am totally guilty of this at times…in these cases I focus more on the action/implementation than the plan.
Embarking on new experiences and wild cards
Many of us have this fear of failing but failure will always come before us in some way or another. One of my HR profs used to say to us: “There is no such thing as failure, only feedback”. I interpret this saying as success is not possible without bumps along the way. Don’t be scared! I also consider two things before I make big decisions: 1) “What do I have to lose” and 2) “Will this affect me in 5 years from now”. Another way I perceive work that I am doing is whether I am being challenged because if I realize I am not, I find ways of doing it better or taking more on. If you are not challenging yourself nor failing, you are never learning.
My key takeaways would be to take on what seems like an impossibility and believe in yourself because you have the tools and resources to do anything you put effort into…cheesy but true 😉
Good Food
Heard of the saying: “we are what we eat?”? In my eyes, this is 100% accurate. After I fix myself up a healthy and nutritious meal I feel energized and satisfied. Take the time to prepare a proper meal because it will pay off with great enjoyment and self-satisfaction.
Find the outlet that helps you alleviates stress
This world is more competitive than ever and along with longer work hours, financial worries, just to name a few variables, we are naturally more stressed than ever.
It is critical to achieve a healthy and clear mental mind in order to stay happy and tackle all the other complexities we are faced with on a daily basis.
Yoga and good music are ways that I tune-out the stress in my life. These two things constitute a large part of my weekly regiment. Figure out what works best for you and stick with it!
Get Sweaty & then sweat some more!
It is very important to increase the beautiful beat of your heart through high impact/cardiovascular activity. Get the blood flowing and activate endorphin production to reduce stress and maintain happiness. Doing regular exercise 3-5 times a week will not only reduce stress and make you happy, but it will make you look and feel fabulous too!
Good network of positive supportive people
Find those people in your life that constantly inspire you and make you happy. Keep these people close and channel out those who exert negative energy because they will bring you down with them.
Give more than you receive
I derive intrinsic fulfillment from helping others, which is why I have donated a lot of time to giving back to my community. Seeing others be positively effected by things that I am passionate about is extremely heart-warming and rewarding. Don’t just do something for the sake of saying you have done it, but rather, do it because you are genuinely excited by it. Taking all this in, you will be sure to achieve greater self-satisfaction in the long run.
Spontaneity
Make low-involvement impulse purchases and proceed with your spur of the moment decisions from time to time. This is how I keep my life interesting and ensures I am not living with grave regret. It also keeps life fun because you have little to no expectations. More times than not, you walk away pleasantly surprised.
On a Macro level, follow your gut, step outside your comfort zone, push your boundaries, and explore new limits!