Find Balance in Your Life

Finding your own personal balance in life is important if you’re going to achieve the health goals that you’ve set for yourself. If you don’t find this balance your life can feel out of control and overwhelming. You need to be clear about what it is that you need for yourself and to satisfy those personal needs.

One technique that you can use to attain this balance in your life is a tool called “mind mapping”. Mind mapping was developed by Tony Buzan and is the process of learning by using key words and images. Your mind doesn’t work in a linear fashion and mind mapping will help you to remember things associatively so that you can achieve more balance in your personal life as well as manage the projects and goals that are important to you. There are many different types of software on the market that will help you learn and manage the process of mind mapping such as MindGenius and MindManager.

One of the ways that you can determine how much personal and business balance you have in your life is by taking a look at the “wheel of life”. The wheel of life lets you use a balanced life chart that asks you specific questions about the areas of your life where you are most active. Based on your score you can determine how balanced your life is. There are eight categories of the wheel of life that include:

* social
* spiritual
* physical
* family
* financial
* professional
* community
* mental

You’ll be able to find out if your life is in balance or if there are parts of your own life wheel that need balancing.

Another thing that you can do to find and maintain balance in your life is to “clean your house” by taking care of the things that you have that are unfinished. This means wrapping up those loose ends that you’ve been avoiding for whatever reason. When you have unfinished business in your life it creates a chaotic feeling of unbalance that affects all areas of your life and prevents you from being as productive as you could be. These unfinished tasks can be as straightforward as physically cleaning your house to finishing that sales report that you’ve been avoiding for weeks.

Once you’ve identified the areas of your life that need cleaning, sorting, and completion you need to find the feeling of purpose that is going to inspire you to take the time and make the effort to change. You need to know that your purpose for balancing your life and cleaning your house is to clear your mind and give you the room to concentrate on what’s important in your personal and your business life. When things are in place, both physically and in your mind, you’ll have more success as your work towards your goals. Your purpose should be clear: to make room for the important things in life as you reach your goals.

Personal Time

Make sure that you have plenty of personal time so that you can regroup and find focus. If you never take the time to stop and do something that you enjoy you’re going to lose sight of the things that are important in both your personal and your professional life. Make a list of the things that you enjoy doing and try to do at least one or two of them every week.

Find activities that are going to help you relax and take time to breathe. You might want to consider meditation as a method of relaxation that will clear your mind for a short time so that you can think clearly. Another method of relaxation that you might want to consider is visualization. Visualization is a great technique for relaxing while at the same time reaffirming your goals and dreams.

No matter you decide to do in your personal time make sure that you understand the importance of making time to relax and enjoy the things that you like doing.

Appearance

There are many truths to the concept that certain aspects of your appearance can affect your health. When you use the right type of appearance, and combine it with your body language and voice skills, you feel better about yourself. Take the time to dress so that you “feel good”. Your body language and posture should be just as confident as the way that you dress.

Self Awareness

Self awareness is a continuous process of renewal that you should get in the habit of implementing in your life. This concept is based on the seventh habit of Stephen Covey’s book “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. One of the techniques that you use for reaching your goals should be the constant renewal of your physical, social/emotional, spiritual, and mental areas of your life so that you can achieve the balance that you need to be successful in your personal and professional life.

Taking care of the physical balance in your life is important in maintaining all aspects of balance in your life. When you take care of your physical body you’re better prepared to face the mental and spiritual challenges that come your way. There are many ways that you can take care of the physical part of your life such as a well balanced diet and exercise. According to Covey there are three physical areas that you need to focus on: (1) endurance, (2) flexibility, and (3) strength.

The social and emotional aspect of the balance in your life focuses on the relationships that you have with the other people in your life. The healthier your relationship is with those others the more successful you are in your own life.

As discussed earlier, your value system is one of the strong elements of your success. When you focus on the spiritual balance in your life you’re able to renew your commitment to this system of values that makes you unique from others. You’ll need to make time to balance your spiritual life with the other parts of your life. One of the ways that you can find this balance is by reinforcing the personal mission statement that was discussed in chapter five, since it’s this mission statement that renews your goals and dreams.

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health. Covey suggests the following as some ways to implement mental balance in your life: (1) keep a daily diary of your thoughts and feelings, (2) read material that is educational and enlightening, and (3) limit the amount of media that you allow to reach you, such as television. Other ways that you can take care of your mental health are mediation and visualization, as discussed earlier.

The more self aware you are of all the above areas of your life the more successful you’ll be in attaining your health goals. When you find a balance between your personal and your professional life you’ll be able to put your focus where it belongs at the right given moment. It’s this personal awareness that will give you the confidence to excel at what you love doing and reach your goals.