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The Importance Of Having Balance In Our Lives

This article is more than 7 years old.

I have always had an incredible drive to work hard.  When I am at work I genuinely work my tail off. I am motivated and driven and focused on getting a tremendous amount done, and all of that is positive, but my problem lies in that I often don’t know how to put things down and stop working for the night. There is always one more email, one more phone call, one more contract to review, one more issue to fix, and the list goes on and on and on. Often times it’s so late at night when I finish working that I only have time to eat a late meal and go right to bed, only to wake up early the next morning and start over again. I get so busy with being busy that I forget the importance of balance. I forget the need to sometimes step back, take a deep breath, meditate, take a walk, and enjoy the smell of the flowers.

I think it’s an honorable and good thing to work hard. I truly do. And if someone is going to tip the balance scale one way or the other I think it is probably good to let it go a little more to the work side than play side (after all there is that old saying about idle hands make the devils work, which I totally believe to be true). But it is critical to have a little bit of down time and play time to enjoy life.

Entrepreneurs are the absolute worst when it comes to having balance in their lives. I know because I am one. We think about business 24x7 and we become completely addicted to the action. We have such a passion for what we are doing that we lose sight of everything beyond work. We become so hyper-focused on getting things done that that we forget to notice how incredibly beautiful the world around us is. The problem becomes that we get so engrossed in our work that we completely forget that having balance in life is a key ingredient in achieving success.

There is something that happens when you can step away from the craziness and just listen to the silence. You gain a perspective that can help you to make better decisions, you gain a sense of calm, and you have the ability to see the big picture again. You are able to see the entire map of where you are going and appreciate the distance you have come as well as seeing how far you still want to go. Yes, taking time for balance and taking time to smell the flowers is a very important part of being the best person you can be.

All of us need to recognize and remember the importance of having balance in our lives. Set goals for yourself on the time you will spend doing quality things with your family and set goals for yourself on the time you will spend productively at work. And don’t forget that you need to set a goal for the time you will spend just for you. Many of us (I admit to being the worst at this part) forget to set aside any time just for ourselves. We get so busy taking care of everyone and everything around us that we forget about ourselves entirely. Take a little time to meditate each day all by yourself. Clear your mind and just sit in silence. Somewhere beautiful and peaceful would be the best spot to do this, but anywhere quiet will work. Let your mind think about all of the beauty around you in this world, think about all of your blessings, think about absolutely nothing at all, just be at peace. Then get up, take a deep breath, and smell the amazing flowers…

~Amy Rees Anderson (follow my daily blogs at www.amyreesanderson.com/blog )