When looking to bring more balance into your life, you must first understand what balance means to you. Balance is not static. It’s a dynamic focus. It’s where the different parts of your life are in appropriate proportion and harmony. Balance is not something to be achieved and then forgotten. It changes with the different stages and events of your life.

There are many challenges to living a balanced life. For some it’s working too much, accumulating beyond what you’ll use, not exercising enough, unhealthy eating, not spending enough time with those people who are important to you, and the list goes on and on.

You may say you want more balance, but are you willing to make the changes that are necessary? This question will cause you to think about the balance between what you want in the moment of desire, and what you want in the long term. It will cause you to question what you want, why you want it, and if you need it.

One challenge is not to override the signals that you’re out of balance by continuing to push your internal snooze button when “out-of-balance alarms” go off, until your battery runs down. You may not notice you’re out-of-balance until you have a problem that’s big enough to get your attention. Instead, use your out of balance alarms to be the timely wake up call they’re meant to be.

I think I can safely say that we all have deadlines where our balancing act may be to put everything else on hold to get things done. That’s understandable behavior when it’s done once in awhile. But if you continue to operate in that mode, what can follow is a deadline driven life that pushes family dinners, exercise, meditation, a healthy diet, or fun to the side, as a new normal takes its place. Sometimes you don’t wake up to the fact that working six days a week, having meetings on weekends, and working late hours, has taken over your life until you have a health problem, or a relationship issue, and recognize that your new normal is anything but balanced. Recognizing the signals that you’re out-of-balance can be a tool that will cause you to consider how you find balance in the busy life you currently lead.

For me yoga is a great way to develop and refine balance. When I strike a balance pose in yoga I don’t hold the pose; I find a still point that allows me to focus, breathe, and make subtle adjustments to the changes in my posture. If I lose my focus, I lose my balance. It’s at those times I shift my attention to breathing, and stop struggling with what’s happening in the moment. Instead I slow down, focus, and relax into the pose.

Think about what can bring you more balance today. Forget about yesterday. You can’t do yesterday’s yoga or run yesterday’s half-marathon or have yesterday’s body or make up for lost time.

The following isn’t a quick remedy, like taking a vacation, or taking two aspirins. It requires attention and awareness. I suggest that when you’re out of balance, remember the serenity prayer, and have the serenity to accept the things you cannot change and the courage to change the things you can. Choose an area of your life that is out of balance and make a change. The two areas that will produce the greatest results are making a change in your thinking and your body. I’d like to say that this is easy, but it’s not easy in the sense that there’s no work or commitment involved, but it is inside of your control and you can do it! After all, it is your thinking and your body.

Breathe, slow down, and relax, then reflect on the following 3 practices to help you make a change and find balance today. Enjoy!

Think: Desire is a thought impulse. You often don’t stop to think about why you want what you want, until after the fact when you’re out of balance. Then your thought goes to why did I do that. Instead, direct your thought to where you want it to go before you act. The old admonition of think before you speak is a simple alert. It means to shape what you want and let your words and actions be the carrier of that intention. This is as true with your personal practices as it is with your outer interactions. If you find that you’re consistently out of balance in one area, take some time to think about how to move into balance in your thinking so impulses of the moment don’t supersede your intention.

Act: Put your body where it needs to be today to bring more balance. This could be de-cluttering your office, making phone calls to sell your product, doing yoga, hitting the gym, having a conversation you’ve been putting off, making a healthy lunch to take to work, getting up early to finish a project, or making time for physical exercise. Notice today what you eat and how that impacts your energy and sense of balance. Notice the difference between activities (meaningless busy work) and action (intentional effort). In other words, if you’re doing yoga, you need to have your body on the mat. If you’re making a healthy lunch, your body needs to be in the kitchen. If you’re making phone calls, your body needs to be on the phone. You can’t be in two places at once. Direct your body to match your intention.

Be: Mindfulness is the practice of connection and presence. A mindfulness practice gives you space to be with what is occurring when it’s occurring. If you find that you’re never where you are, such as, thinking about something else when others are speaking, or in a constant hurry to get on to what’s next, or aggravated by having to wait in line or in traffic, use this practice to bring balance to the moment. Smile, breathe in and out slowly, and expand your awareness to include your physical environment, and notice your thoughts without holding on to them. You will find you can bring balance to an agitated mind.

When I’m alert to these 3 practices, the result is a delicious simplicity. I sleep better, eat healthier, exercise daily, love in all ways, and find pleasure in work and play. Let me know what you discover.

My love goes with you as you work with this uplifting moment.