Struggling to find balance...

I’m hearing more and more people talking about feeling out of whack, struggling to find balance, losing their ‘mojo’ and so on. These feelings are informative and indicate something isn’t right. Overload is common, stress is showing up in new and uncomfortable ways, old unresolved issues are resurfacing and biting people on the bum, and there is a general sense of ‘stop the bus for a minute!’ for those out of step with themselves. Maybe its just my age and stage in life but I seem to hear the words ‘historic’, ‘once in a lifetime’, ‘unparalleled’ on a regular basis these days whether in relation to the speed of change in the Middle East, extreme weather events, political shenanigans, youth suicide, or the extremist behaviour of individuals (among a raft of other things as well). We could be forgiven for wanting to put our heads down and focus on our own personal lives and leaving the rest to sort itself out these days. Focusing on what we can control or influence is the key to staying sane and enhancing the quality of day-to-day life. The only thing is, as sociologist Paul H. Ray said “The world is getting better and better, and worse and worse, faster and faster, and we are all in it together”. It is this idea that ‘we are all in it together’ that we seem to have the most trouble with. We really are being drawn towards consequences faster and faster and many are overwhelmed in their attempts to keep their eyes on all the balls in the air. Balance can only be found by ‘tuning in’ to what it actually is for you individually. What that is changes as we grow and evolve through life. I used to be so uncomfortable with my own company that I couldn’t be alone for five minutes without getting on the phone, going somewhere or having visitors. My own company was too uncomfortable to share with myself - I had very low self-esteem in those days. It seems strange to see myself that way now - much is different and my life has been through several transformations - thankfully! Balance for me now is very different than what it was in the past. Now I enjoy alone time immensely so I can explore the relationship between my inner and outer worlds and attempt to make sense of it all or just accept life is what it is. Balance is being able to easily make time to read. It is having full-on work commitments that make me dig deep, and challenges that stretch and grow me. Balance is about creating ‘head space‘ so my mind can let go and wander towards new understandings and possibilities that could help others have better quality lives whilst I enhance my own. I highly recommend having a think about what balance is for you. If life was balanced, or closer to balance than it is now what would be different? How would you love it to be? Aim in that direction and even if you don’t get there you will be closer than you are now. If you are headed where you want to go when you look far down the road and you are experiencing challenges, remind yourself of their purpose and re-engage in your activities with joy - after all, today is your future history. These are the good old days. Make them brilliant so you can look back and be glad for how you lived and what you contributed to the world. Be true to you and you can be confident you are on track. We all evolve throughout our lives…here’s to consciously co-operating with that evolutionary impulse in us all. And that’s it... from my view. Amanda