skip to Main Content

“Every thought that we put into the world affects it. Think love, think peace, think harmony.” ~Anonymous

I’ve dedicated the first month of 2021 to the joy habit of balance.  For as I see it, being in balance is one of the best states that will enable you to not just survive these next few challenging months, but to actually come out stronger on the other side. Here’s why.

When all the various aspects of your life are balanced, you’ll feel less stress, have better clarity, and actually will accomplish more of what’s really important in your life. On the other hand, when you’re not living in balance (and your body and soul will know it), you’ll feel overwhelmed, anxious, and remorseful about the neglect of some aspects of your life – all toxic emotions that rob you of your joy.

Today’s blog will provide you with some resources to help you examine your current life and what areas you may want to work on in 2021.

A great starting place is a book by Wayne Dyer’s called “Being in Balance”.  It’s a lovely gift book for someone you care about or makes for a great companion to remind you of the importance of balance in your own life.

I’m a big Wayne Dyer fan and was fortunate to attend a few of his presentations when he was still living.  If you’re a regular reader of my blogs or my book Being Joy™, you know I reference and quote him a lot as I’ve been very much influenced by the wisdom in his many books.  In fact, he was very much an inspiration when I was writing my own book.

Now, let’s talk about the many aspects of balance.

Over the years, there have been plenty of methods, both from indigenous cultures and contemporary schools of thought, for labelling the various aspects that make up the human experience.  My earliest memory of examination in this area was a conversation I had with my father back when I was a young teen.

At that time, my father was immersed in the early days of the “positive thinking” movement (this was the 1960’s) and was working one-on-one with businessmen who wanted to become more successful. Most of these men were workaholics, who sacrificed home and personal life in order to get ahead.  They felt that’s what was expected of them. I remember my Dad telling me about this one particular man whose marriage was falling apart because he was never home. He had started drinking a lot, was always tired and was in deep despair.  He thought his only solution was to close his business.  For him it was an all or nothing proposition.  But my Dad shared with me something that I’ve never forgotten.

man holding his head looking stressed

Dad suggested that instead of closing his business and pulling that part of his life down to the same level of his marriage and health that instead he raised his marriage and health to the same priority as his business.  He simply suggested that this man elevate the various areas of his life that were being short-changed so that everything could co-exist in a balanced way, but on a higher level.  Less stress, more joy.  It’s all about the balance.

A few years ago I was introduced to a more contemporary take on balance when I met Dave Braun and Troy Amdah, the authors of a book and subsequent program and line of products called Oola. The story of how their book came to be is truly inspiring and I encourage you to visit their website to learn more about them and their philosophy.

In the forward to the book, Kurt Warner, a professional football MVP, says, “I have come to realize it is not so much the quantity of time applied to an area of importance, as it is the quality.  Balance is making sure those areas in your life get equal effort during the time you have to devote to them.”  Makes sense but easier said than done you say.

What’s great about the Oola approach is that they have categorized the various activities you usually allocate time and attention to by calling them the 7 F’s.  They are:  Fitness, Finance, Family, Field, Faith, Friends and Fun.

Their book provides a fun activity by which you can determine which parts of your “wheel” are unbalanced and a straightforward and practical plan for how to bring them into alignment.  If you are, or have younger people in your orbit, this approach is a fun way to look at balance as opposed to some of the more often outdated and often heavily focused on financial achievement approaches.  I have found their take on balance quite refreshing.

Balancing Challenge

I hope you’ll read my weekly blogs this month when I’ll explore a few other ways for you to look at balance. In the meantime, here’s a simple activity that can help cement the topic of this month’s focus in your physical body.  It’s from Chapter 24 of my book Being Joy™.

young lady standing on one leg and kicking the other leg back in a dance pose, while holding a scarf up with her arms in the air.

“To physically demonstrate the importance of overall balance – mind, body, and spirit, try this exercise.

 Find a place in your room where you can stand and stretch out your arms.

Stand on one leg and hold your arms out beside you for thirty seconds.

Then stand on the other leg for thirty seconds with your arms above your head.

Close your eyes while standing and breathe deeply if you can.

If not, with eyes open, breathe peacefully.

Repeat three times.”

Until next time, keep your frequency high, your mind open, and your joy ever expanding!

Love from your Joy Mama,

Gloria Stewart signature

P.S.    If you haven’t already read my book Being Joy™, it’s a simple 40-day practice of replacing old self-defeating beliefs with new empowering joy habits. As your vibrational frequency increases, you’ll not only experience more joy, but you’ll also be a beacon of hope for others who have forgotten their own joy.  Please join me on this important Joy Revolution by ordering your copy today!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like these:

Is lack of alignment one of your barriers to joy?
Your 40 day joy activism challenge
Slow your roll live more joyfully now

Image courtesy of Pixabay.

 

 

This Post Has 0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top