How Balanced is YOUR Life?
By Victoria Cook , The Guilt-Free Coach

What is Balance?
Contrary to popular belief, balance is not an end point destination or a “thing” to be acquired. It is dynamic and always changing. Balance is more of a process not a place. Take a moment and get up from your chair and stand on one foot for 20 seconds. Feel the small adjustments being made in the foot planted on the ground. These adjustments are what enable you to steady yourself on one foot and keep your balance. When working with my clients to achieve greater balance in their personal or professional lives, we focus on small changes and fine-tuning some key areas of their life enabling them move towards greater life harmony.

Balance is unique to each individual. A balanced life will look very different from one person to the next. The challenge is that most people have not given much thought to what a balanced life truly means to them. Too often it means maintaining everything currently going on in their life but with less chaos, stress, pressure or pain.

Assessing Balance
Balance is assessed over time and must include the entire flow of your life, not just one segment such as 9 AM – 5 PM. To identify what small changes and fine-tuning is needed, I ask my clients to fill out an assessment tool called the Wheel of Life (see the example of a filled out Wheel above). The wedges around the wheel represent the main areas of a person’s life. An individual’s wheel is unique and can be modified by adding or removing wedges in order to best represent their unique life.

The center of the wheel represents 0 and the outer edges 10. I ask my clients to rate each wedge of their wheel on a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being completely dissatisfied and 10 meaning highly satisfied with that area of their life. A score is entered for the wedge and then a curved line drawn to represent the score and ultimately create the outer edge of their Wheel.

The goal of assessing the current balance of your life is not about getting 10’s in all of the wedges, but to identify areas where you feel out of balance so you can create a smoother ride. A bumpy ride is a key indicator that the balance of your life is in need of an alignment. Keep in mind this assessment is a snapshot of life at this moment. Remember, balance is a state of being that you are either moving away from or towards as a result of the decisions you are making. There will be times when your life may look radically out of balance to the outside observer. For example, when striving for a major goal such as moving to a new city or starting a business, it’s understandable that much of your time, thoughts, and energy will be directed towards that goal. The key is to not let that imbalance become a permanent condition in your life, but rather a temporary state that is part of your long-term balance strategy.

Raising your awareness becomes a way of beginning the process of change. This awareness immediately raises the question: “What would it take for me to experience life with greater fluidity?”

What Will You Do?
Will you take the time to reflect on your own life balance or will this just be an interesting article that you’ve read and discarded?

If you are ready to take some steps towards a life of greater fluidity, then I encourage you to print off a blank wheel of life and take some time to assess your current level of life balance.

After completing your own assessment, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you see, or it may affirm the bumpy ride. Whichever the case may be, I want you to know that you CAN achieve the balance, harmony, and peace in your life you desire! If you need more assistance, I know a GREAT COACH!

About the Author
Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, helps ambitious working Moms create more time and focus to accomplish their goals, grow their business, and live guilt-free! Get free resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress at http://www.theguiltfreecoach.com/gift.

How Balanced is YOUR Life? © 2005 - 2008 Victoria Cook. All rights reserved.

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