I became a Business and Life Coach because I believe who you are and what you do are inseparable and therefore living a balanced life is crucial. My desire to figure out my own journey was to create the life I desired and then share that knowledge with others.

I truly feel if you are lucky enough to be passionate about what you are doing, you are privileged, and that happiness is the foundation of a balanced life. There is a lot of good information available to us; unfortunately, it can sometimes feel very overwhelming.

For myself, as well as my clients, my approach is to simplify the process. A beginning step to create a balanced life is to start by making some changes – small simple changes. It takes self-discovery to settle into who we are meant to be and really embrace it. Sometimes, who we are meant to be is a little different than who we always thought we would be, and that is absolutely ok.

The Road of Self-Discovery

Step with care and great tact, and remember life’s a great balancing act.

—Dr. Seuss

Self-discovery is a journey, not a decision we ultimately make. If you are like me, it can take the greater part of your life! However, when you are where you are supposed to be, and doing what you truly love, you are the closest to living an extraordinary and balanced life.

Many young people get frustrated because they feel pressured early on to make a decision about who they will be in their life. Having to choose a career path and where to get an education are just some of the very difficult decisions we are told to make. This continues until we turn around 50 years later and wonder, “What have I done?”

Feeling Out of Balance

Many people, years after making important life choices, feel that they are living a life that is not what they thought/wanted and have no idea ‘how to fix it’. They are aware they are out of balance because life feels hectic, they are overwhelmed, and they experience little to no joy. They have thoughts and ideas, goals for their life and business, and for their future, but do not know how to make the changes necessary to feel the peace and significance of a life that is balanced.

I find that, most of the time, it is a matter of simply slowing down to get where you desire to be, faster. To stop, be still. Be quiet with yourself. That is when your inner voice gets to speak. Once we can quiet ourselves, we have an opportunity to listen to what our inner voice is telling us. This is a practiced skill. It doesn’t just happen, and it doesn’t have to become difficult.

Now, you are probably thinking, “Great, another thing to do in my already busy, busy, list of daily things I have to do.” But if not now, when?

That is why I suggest making it easy and fun. Each of us will find our own way to become still. Here are some things that have worked for me and some that have not. It is a matter of trial and error and knowing yourself – all part of the process. Only you know what your life needs and what you will do to accomplish your desires.

Quiet the Self

Quieting the self often begins with meditation. However, I never could meditate as it only makes my mind more chaotic. Instead, I found another way. For me, the best way to quiet myself is to go outside. One way is being in nature, surrounded by trees and walking on a path. The grass and ground allow me to feel connected to the earth. That’s where I feel grounded and meditative.

I also find peace at the beach as the ocean is very relaxing, peaceful, and quieting for me. The sound of the waves is hypnotic.

We all have places that resonate with our spirit, we just have to recognize them. What is yours?

Plan Your Desired Life

Put a plan into place to have the life you want, live the way you want, right now. Don’t waste another minute. Getting to where you want to be starts with the now. It can be simple. Don’t put pressure on yourself trying to overthink or overplan. Take simple steps to adjust your daily routine.

For example, if you want to exercise, but cannot do it after your daily chores – try getting up earlier in the morning. It may surprise you to see that having a little extra quiet time just to yourself to do whatever you like is therapeutic.

Exercise – walk, bike, yoga, or even simple bed stretches. I know that there are exercises for all of us. You just have to decide to try and then do what feels good to you.

Strategize

You quieted yourself and came up with your desired life; now use strategies to take steps to accomplish it. A strategy to exercise in the early morning may be to have an automatic coffee brewer so you wake to the aroma of coffee in the kitchen. That is an incentive to get out of bed and start the day. Perhaps find a gentle exercise video you can put on the TV and slowly participate.

Action

Now that you have created strategies that will work for you, use them. Put a reminder in your phone, leave some equipment ready to use. Don’t make it hard, it doesn’t have to be. Change is good, and you can take your time implementing it. Slow and steady.

Follow Up

Having either an accountability partner or simply making a point of following a new routine will result in your success. I use apps for everything, and I find that they help me to be accountable because they track what I am doing so I can review my steps and accomplishments.

Seeing is believing and using apps puts everything in front of me. If you have a friend who you would feel comfortable being partners with, that is wonderful. I do not and so I make my situation work for me.

My Own Strategy

I have been practicing Yoga for a number of years. However, in recent years, I have truly learned how to practice Yoga. Like everything else, it is a process of strategies or steps that we use. It takes action, follow up, a willingness to change, growth and focus.

We have accountability partners – the instructor, our classmates – but ultimately, we are responsible to be accountable to ourselves. This is how I develop my practice and see my progress. What I have realized is that Yoga mirrors life.

We are best served when we focus our thoughts in the direction we would like to see our life going. Welcome change rather than fear it or resist it. Let go of limiting beliefs as you move gently into where you are supposed to be. These are the principles of Yoga.

Of course, Yoga is always making reference to balance. Curiosity about the self, discovery, movement, transformation, journey, and practice. It became clear to me that life, like Yoga is a practice that leads us to balance. I have also come to the realization that as our body, mind and spirit become freer, evolved, and balanced, with practice, so can our life.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Is your life balanced? Can you be more in balance? What do you think causes you to be out of balance? Have you found your special quieting/meditating place?