When coaching clients, I enjoy making sure they have several parts of their world thriving. I have been in and out of balance in regards to having my career taking too big of a role. I have not separated who I am from what I do. It is great when our job is going well. When it isn’t and it is a huge part of our life, it creates trouble for us. It is important to have several parts of your world filling us up, bringing us joy or re-charging us.
When people look back on their life they do not say, “I wish I would have worked more.” What people regret is not having more free time and more time with loved ones. When we have three or more parts of our lives well developed, if one is out of whack we have other areas that can still keep us in balance. Let’s look at some buffers we can create for us, when we are striving for balanced and fullfilling lives.
Be money wise. We should have 6 to 8 months of an emergency fund. If we know we have 8 months of salary saved, we can say to ourselves, “I can quit this job and find a new one.” Having wisdom, planning and strategy with our money can help use feel secure and empowered. Money woes on the other hand, can imbalance us.
Are we nurturing our relationships with family and friends? Do we have a best friend or two? Are we getting together with someone that loves us weekly? Family is either by blood or by choice. Some people say they don’t have the best relationship with their family and I get it. Then let’s choose our family.
At least monthly, Have we had a date night with ourselves or our partners? Oh no. I didn’t hear a reply? Get that date on the calendar today!
Do we have at least one hobby? One thing that is our thing? I am an animal lover. One of my favorite hobbies is to do fun activities with my dog. I explore new dog parks. I wrestle with her. I find and buy fun treats that she loves. I take her to play with friends. I keep her as far away from cats as possible!
We should always have something on the calendar to look forward to? One of the biggest ways I have kept my life in balance is to have something fun planned on my calendar. I usually also have one fun vacation plan per year; even if it is just getting away for the weekend. I visited friends in Boston over the Labor day weekend. It was awesome to vacation somwhere that did not remind me of my home base.
Do we have down time scheduled? I mean a day to do absolutely nothing? I find that if I schedule them, there is no guilt that surfaces saying that I am lazy.
Have we de-cluttered our homes? Pick one room a week to deep clean and de-clutter. Before we know it our home is clutter free and a donation center has gained lots of goodies. My walk in closet looks amazing. I cleared it out last weekend!
Is your life in balance? Do you want to team up with a coach? Give Mantis a call!
