I Need Balance

Fall seems to be an insanely busy time for lots of people! I've got it going on here too with a new business launch and taking my blog to the next level. I was really hoping that these two things would not collide as they have, but here they are walking hand in hand, competing and demanding time and attention. :-) Sigh.

That, to say that I haven't been spending the same amount of time riding my bike or watching my diet as I was a month ago. I haven't fallen off the wagon, nothing drastic, but my time has been totally consumed with learning so many new technical things and connecting with people who are on a similar journey. It's been a blast, and I wouldn't trade any of it away. But, my numbers on the scale are more than a little disappointing, so I think its time to take a step back and figure out how to bring some balance back in.

Does anyone else struggle, seemingly endlessly, over keeping a balance in life?

I was reading this morning over at Sean Wilson's blog and Ryan Sullivan's blog about how both these guys are busy and passionate about life and family and all the reasons they pursued a healthy lifestyle to begin with. Lack of hyper focus isn't a bad thing, it's actually a sign of a good thing. Good reads, check 'em out if you have time.

So, I see that I'm not alone, and I find myself able to cut myself some slack while being keenly aware that my health and fitness goals and passions, still ever present, need and deserve a bit more attention than I've given lately. The last thing I want is to find success in these other areas only to see that I don't have the energy to sustain them because my foundation fell apart.

Being both a participant and an encourager in the weight loss community, I've observed that incorporating real life into our weight loss journey is essential to long term success. We all think it might be nice to be on the Biggest Loser ranch and be able to totally devote ourselves to our weight loss goals, but I'm seriously beginning to question the wisdom in that.

Maybe a better way or another way to put it is that incorporating weight loss into our life journey is essential to long term success...point is, losing weight is not an end to itself. Gets back to the why....why is it that I do what I do every single day? Piercing question sometimes.

The truth is I do the healthy habit thing because I want and need to be healthy and strong to make a difference, to contribute to the lives of other people, to love well and give generously. I don't want to waste my life away in front of the television because I'm not strong enough to do anything else.

I read because there are just so many things to learn, so many perspectives I've never thought of before, so many beautiful thoughts and ideas to consider!

I write morning pages and blogs and books and in journals because it helps me be connected to myself, to see myself as I really am instead of who I wish I was or who anyone else says I am.

I do it all because this is how I want to live, and being physically, mentally and emotionally fit are just not negotiable.

But, balance....ahhh, its like a slip 'n slide for me.

So, how do you guys keep all the important things in your life in balance?  How do you keep all the balls up in the air without dropping any of them completely? And do you think it's okay to just take one ball, as important as it is, and include it in the rotation a bit less while spinning the other balls fast and furious?

thinking it through,
Cheryl

Photo courtesy of creative commons

Are You Serious?

You have brains in your head

and feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own

and you know what you know

And you are the one

who'll decide where to go.

-Dr. Seuss

If you could do just one simple 5-10 minute thing every day that would exponentially increase your chances of getting to where you are going, what would you say?

Umm, yes please!

I am personally involved in doing this, not just for my weight loss and fitness goals, but for my family relationships, my business and for my involvement in the community. And, it works!

It requires only three things:

1. A pen
2. A piece of paper (or computer)
3. Commitment (i.e. being really, really serious)

So, nobody is left out here. I can do this. YOU can do this. Anyone can do this if they want it bad enough.

Here it is. Nothing extravagant or even terribly original, just very simple and extremely effective:

Every night before going to bed,
make a list of the 5 tasks
you will do tomorrow.

That's it. The guiding factor is that you will not go to bed the next night until those 5 things are done. Think of it as your priority list. It doesn't mean this is ALL you will do tomorrow...it's just what you MUST do tomorrow if you honestly, truly want what you say you want. Not that hard. It's the small, consistent actions that all add up to realizing your DREAM!

You will soon find, even if you are not a list maker, that the sense of accomplishment you get will provide the momentum you need to reach for bigger and better things! And, when the going gets tough, you will dig deeper and find a way to accomplish these things. The road to success is not easy, but it is simple . . . it's taking action every single day. Every. Single. Day.

There is something about getting up in the morning and knowing exactly what you are going to do that sets the wheels of success in motion! But, if you find that your 5 are easily set aside for an immediate or short-term pleasure, here's what you do next. Yes, it can be a little scary, but if you're serious about what you want, this works:

Examine your why.

Sometimes we want things for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong reasons. Only you can determine that for yourself, and it takes raw honesty with yourself. If you want to get past all your false starts toward changing something or reaching a goal, you have to get brutally honest about where you are now, where you want to be and why.

Because if your why isn't strong enough,

it just ain't gonna happen.

No if's, and's or but's about it.

Have a little fun with this by making yourself a vision board!  Gather pictures from books, magazines, photos, etc., little representations of your goals. There are tons of helps for this online and you can get very creative or just go really simple. Here are a couple of links to get you started:

Dream Board: Envision Your Best Life

How to Create Your First Dream Board

When your dream board is done, place it in a prominent place where you will see it . . . above your desk, in the bathroom, by the fridge, you decide.

With a daily visual of why you do what you do every day, and your list of 5 things to do today, you will rock your day....day after day after day!!

Are you a list maker? Do you have a dream/vision board? How have these things helped you to stay in touch with your goals and even better, reach them!? Do tell!

Dreaming with you,
Cheryl

P.S. The links provided above are not an endorsement of those websites nor any philosophies represented there. The links are included to give examples of and help for creating your own dream or vision board only.