Living A Life In Balance
I’m a planner by nature and by profession. I feel planning your future will always trump just showing up each day and seeing what happens.Thus much of my waking hours are spent thinking about how decisions made today will (or may) affect someone’s future. Unfortunately there are many who get too near retirement age and realize they have done precious little to secure their future. All of a sudden having planned earlier makes sense to them. Oh, but that we could turn back the hands of time! My focus on this day is touting the importance of living in the moment and how a wee bit of planning can help you do that even more successfully.
Balance Defined
Living in the moment has so much to offer. We don’t know how long we are given the blessing of our earthly life. That is why each day is called “the present.” We hear of unfortunate and premature deaths daily: the earthquake, tornado, and hurricane, the auto accident, a robbery and shooting, and of course, disease. Who hasn’t been touched by cancer or another seemingly unsolvable illness. I’ve lost a father, a sister and a father-in-law to cancer. I don’t feel like my situation is abnormal. Just today I heard about a 32 year old woman who died from a rare form of liver cancer that affects young women, primarily. So my emphasis is on the importance of the moment, and with enough planning to create a life of balance.
Let’s define what we mean by a life of balance. Balance connotes evenness, equality. Some might add peacefulness, tranquility, or security. I think of “comfortable,” “responsible.” Able to have comfort. And able to respond. So if I were able to respond successfully to most, if not all situations, wouldn’t that be a good thing?
Planning Helps Create Balance
Living in balance comes from emphasizing appropriately the important aspects of your life. Relationships, career, personal development, and finances. Ah yes, finances. I’ll speak briefly here on this topic. Decide what you want and what you are willing to give to have it. It doesn’t matter whether you are thinking about the house you will live in, the car you will drive, the retirement lifestyle you seek, or the dinner you’ll eat next. Recognize they are all a function of the choices you make. And for all choices there are “two ends of the stick” – the choice you make and the option you didn’t select. I do my best to help people make the right choices for their situation. My next few blogs will cover the five tips I give clients to help them create a life in balance.