Balance

One of the absolute keys to happiness and success is to have a balanced life. It's also one of the biggest challenges, especially in our fast-paced world. Think of balance in terms of a wheel with a number of spokes. Between each spoke are the important things in life. These might be things like work, family, relationships, faith/spiritual, health and fitness, hobbies and leisure. If the wheel is evenly balanced, it will operate effectively and last a long time. If the wheel is out of balance, it will rotate improperly and wear out quickly. This is obviously a metaphor for life. If you put a disproportionate amount of time, effort and emotion in one or two areas in your life, the other areas will suffer and your life will be out of balance.

When your life is out of balance, there are consequences. The following are some signs that your life is out of balance: feelings of burnout and fatigue, lack of fulfillment and enthusiasm, problems in your relationships, deteriorating health and fitness, little or no spiritual element in your life and depression. If you experience these symptoms, it's time to take a close look at your life and see what changes you can make to get your life back in better balance . . .