All Work And No Play – How To Live A Life In Balance

Let’s face it, none of us want to be automatons, working to live and living to work. Yet in the world today, the pressure to make ends meet can override all of our other needs, passions and interests. But when financial ‘responsibility’ supercedes passion and purpose, you’ve got a problem. And for a lot of us, this is exactly what’s happening. One of the challenges most of us face is creating and a life in balance – one in which transitions between external and internal activities is fluid, and where there’s enough time to cultivate interests, grow and expand personally.

You – we all – are a multi-faceted beings. You’ve got passions, interests, skills … and responsibilities. When there’s pressure to pay the bills, it’s easy to get caught up in denying our greater life calling because hey, you’ve gotta eat, right?

While I can go off on a tangent about the value of following your passions and your greater soul purpose (and I do :)) In this post, I just want to share with you a few tips for how to live a life in balance with what you’re doing right now. So if you feel like all work and no play is making you a dull girl or boy, try these 5 strategies to help you bring balance.

5 Strategies to Live a Life in Balance

1. Meditate – 10 minutes people, that’s all I’m asking. 10 minutes a day. Choose a time (I like 1st thing in the morning) and stick with it for 40 days. If you can commit to doing this for 40 days in a row, I promise – you’ll be hooked! More than that – you’re mind will be generally more alert and calm throughout your day.
2. Appreciate – Before you fall off to sleep each night, review your day in search of everything you appreciated about it. And I’m talking about very simple things – like the taste of a meal, the pillow under your head, the funny joke someone told you or the way the light hit your room at a certain time of day. Let yourself drift off to sleep in a state of appreciation.
3. “You Time” – period. – No excuses, no conditions, everyone needs a little bit of private down time each day. Maybe you get up 20 minutes earlier than your family to write in your journal or take a walk. Maybe you hole up in your room before dinner and read something inspirational, connect with your family in a fun way, or chat with a close friend. Give yourself time to just BE. The rewards are exponential! (oh, and this doesn’t mean watching TV or checking your work emails ;))
4. Body Love – Sexual pleasure or a good workout, some yoga, a bike ride … I’m talking about attending to your physical corpus. You know, the “vehicle” that’s yours for life? Take care of it, feed it good food, give it water and exercise. Not only will you feel better overall, you’ll also find that regular exercise helps your mind relax, too.
5. Learn Something New – If you stop growing, you stagnate. But when you feed curiosities and engage yourself in learning new skills, you fuel your zest for living. By its very nature, a hobby or avocation that inspires will ensure you avoid the ‘all work and no play’ syndrome.

Do you feel like you have a life in balance? If not, what areas need more attention? Share your story with me in the comments below.