As I write about balance, I realize now more than ever, people are striving for this in their lives. Balance comes in physical forms, emotional forms, and a spiritual form. Being in balance may mean something different to for you. For me, having a balanced life means creating time for the things I have to do, as well as the things I want to do.
Do I have a balanced life? I think to think so. Is it a perfect doughnut with even distribution among the different categories, certainly not! How do I monitor this - ensuring it's as round as possible? It is a very intentional practice that requires checking-in on yourself a lot and holding yourself accountable. For both the things you have to and the things you want to.
It is referred to as a "Wheel of Life" exercise. I refer to my wheel as my doughnut. There are different dimensions; such as:
Health
Personal Growth
Financial
Spiritual
Social
Friends
Family
Career
Financial
First, think about the different areas or dimensions in your life. These dimensions will not be the same for everyone. What roles do you play? What is important to you? After you have decided on those, you will want to assess how much time you are devoting to each. Is it the proper amount of time? If not, how much attention do you want to spend focusing on those areas?
After you've walked through this activity, you will clearly see how you are balanced and how balanced you would like to be - those very well may be two very different doughnuts. That is the beauty in the balance.
Like I said, this is something in which I hold myself accountable - I check in, at a minimum, monthly. Where am I exceeding? Where am I lacking? By doing this, it allows me to keep pushing through with a sense of peace and balance.