Is It Possible to Achieve Balance?

With the New Year, a lot of people are making resolutions that are meant to change their lives for the better. For some, this means exercising more and eating right. For others, it could mean spending time meditating each day or doing something meaningful such as reading more or volunteering.

But one thing that I’ve been hearing a lot from people is the need to find balance in their lives. It just seems like one thing or another is tugging at them so much that they feel like other parts are suffering as a result.

So how does one achieve balance in his or her life? Let’s look at how to do just that:

1. Realize that you need balance—If you have decided that you need more balance in your life, then congratulations! You have taken the first step by acknowledging that this is something you need to work on: you’ve admitted there’s a problem! Now, you can work toward fixing it.
2. Journaling—Once you’ve acknowledged a problem exists, one way to get your ideas down is with journaling. The free-writing of ideas without self-censorship helps you identify where your problems lie. Journaling uncovers ideas on how to correct these problems by helping you set goals for yourself.
3. Set goals—This last part is very important. You should list out all the things that occupy your daily activities and then reflect on which ones mean the most to you and which ones should be left by the wayside. This reprioritizing of your activities and concerns will help you to shift the out of balance elements into more focus.
4. Make a plan—If you really want to achieve balance, it’s important to get organized. Part of this is to set individual goals — a personal to-do list. Take care of the things that absolutely must be done. But then make sure that you are putting in time each day, each week, and each month for the things that matter — your family, your friends, and, ultimately, yourself.
5. Anticipate problem areas—When you are working on your goals and to-do list, be sure to anticipate problem areas that will creep in to distract you from your goals. These can include everything from time-killers like TV and social media that draw you into a vortex of wasted hours, to other problems like doubts and personal fears. All of these should be anticipated and you should also think about how you can deal with each one so that they don’t sidetrack you.
6. Reflecting—When you set up your to-do list, make sure that you set aside some time regularly, at least once a week, to reflect on your goals and your progress toward achieving them. You should also give yourself time to just sit and think – it doesn’t have to be about anything deep or important. Many of us have forgotten about the power of personal reflection and relaxing thought.

Finding balance in our modern world can be a tall order. But if you take the time to plan and anticipate where you will have issues, then you can achieve that perfect balance in the New Year.

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