Finding Balance | Between the Necessary's & The Optional's

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It's no secret that the world is seeking balance. It's almost like a constant obsession. We read about in magazines, we listen to speeches on it on the radio, and we watch Oprah interview celebrities on it.

Seems to me, everyone thinks someone else has got it down, has all the answers, and lives in a perfect level of balance everyday.

But here's the thing, anyone trying to make a living for themselves struggles with balance.

Show me a women with a successful career, and I will show you a woman dealing with finding balance. I dare you to prove me wrong.

So why does the majority of society seem so wrapped up in this whole balance thing? Why do so many people invest hours of time, and hundreds of dollars searching for the golden answer?

Does it not occur to people that one person's golden answer just might be the downfall of anothers?

I'm a huge fan of Tracey Clark's photography, and have been following her blog for a few months now. A post she had written a little while ago stuck to me, and got me thinking about balance, and how each of us achieve it (if we ever do, that is).

And I'm pretty sure there is one big reason why people struggle with balance - it's a hard thing to master.

Finding, maintaining and restoring (because you will fall off the wagon) balance is like paying off debt. It takes time, sacrifice, compromises, effort, and a change of thinking. You will need reminders, and encouragement and tools, to help you along the way.

Sure, there are shortcut's and system's and seminars galore available to everyone who has an active connection to the internet - but how much information can you really absorb before you learn that if you don't actually implement the knowledge, your brain is going to explode.

Ok, maybe not literally, but hopefully you get where I'm going with this.

Anyways, what I'm trying to get at, is that obtaining balance is not easy. Anyone who tells you they can solve your organizational/clutter/anxiety/balance issues in a heartbeat is looking for a quick buck.

Don't say I didn't warn you. Because hunny (or gents!), those things are battles that belong to us alone (and well, with God as our strength to guide us). We can either embrace them, struggle with them, and work with them all our lives to achieve some sort of fair alignment. Or we can ignore them, push them to the side, and let those emotions and gremlin thoughts control our minds.

So here's something to consider: what can you do today to gain a little of that control back?

Recognizing that the work/home life thing won't work itself out, what are you going to do to balance it?

Realizing that financial stresses simply won't subside if you work more overtime hours, what are you going to do to ease your troubled mind?

Understanding that you can't always work out at the gym 4 times a week, have routine lunch dates with friends, and give an ample amount of time to your immediate family. How will you decide in your heart what is at the top of your priority list.

Learn to become still with yourself, and take the time to know your soul.

Because that, my friends, is something that you can't buy from a shelf or an e-cart. And that is what will guide you in finding balance.

Somehow, society has really missed the mark (again).

Signing off,

Shan