How to Balance Your Life with Your Values

We talk about life balance but what does that really mean? What are we actually trying to balance and why doesn’t it work for most of us? Does your life get so full that you feel like a hamster on a wheel or a juggler with too many balls in the air at one time? Who has time to even think about balance? rnUnderstanding that it’s our running that keeps the wheel spinning and our hands that keep the balls moving is the first step in making the choice to stop moving so fast. Can we step off the wheel and let the balls drop long enough to consider what’s actually important to us? rnWhat we value is where we are motivated to spend time and resources. If there’s something missing from your life balance, you likely don’t value it enough to make the time for it to happen regularly. If you really want that thing in your life, you will need to give it a higher value for it to have priority. By taking time to think it through, you may also decide that the missing pieces aren’t that important. Then you can just drop it. It might have been someone else’s idea of what is important driving your thinking about its priority for your life. rnWhat things are you doing that you don’t really want to do, are not enjoying or are not actually good at? Can you drop them or find another way to get them done if they must be done? Would it be worth hiring someone who actually likes doing something you don’t so you can spend time doing the things you actually value? rnBalance comes into life when we are living according to our values, when we are clear about saying no to what is not resourceful for us and making those things that are important our highest priorities. rnSomething to try: rnNext time you feel overwhelmed with the number of things asking for your attention, STOP for just 10 minutes. Find a quiet place (it might even be the bathroom –with the door closed!), take a few deep breaths and check in with yourself. What really matters and what doesn’t? Make some small change and track what happens in your day.