Seeking True Balance: A Waste of Time?

(Need help prioritizing? Dogs know what really matters.)

I read something really interesting yesterday that changed the way I think about balance.

Americans love the word "balance." Look at any popular women's magazine and you will see stories about fitting everything in, having it all, balancing your life, etc.

I think we forget to distinguish between having it all at once, and having it all over time.

Then there is balance. Last year it was a big goal of mine. Find the time to eat right, excel at work, work out, spend time with friends and family, make time for hobbies, etc. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to do all of that. It's human nature to want to do it all well. But no matter what, you only have 100% of yourself to give, and the only way to handle everything is through prioritizing.

I used to get really upset with myself. I'd put in a ton of effort to my personal health, but my studies would fall by the wayside. I'd want extra time with Tom, but then couldn't make plans with friends. I'd take some time for a mental health break, but my newspaper articles wouldn't be as good that week.

Then yesterday, while I was studying a few books on a religion, I learned something that made a lot of sense. I have talked a little about my quest to find faith this year. Just by my personality, science tends to resonate with me better than religion. But for years I have wanted to expand my spiritual side, so this year, I am studying different religions to see if any of them speak my language, I guess.

The book I was reading was talking about nature and the seasons. It said how as humans, we are constantly seeking balance, but in nature, there are only about two days out of the year where lightness and darkness are actually balanced. We celebrate those as equinoxes, and we enjoy them, but for the rest of the year, there is more light than darkness, and vise versa.

We don't try to force more or less light into our days. We adjust, because it's nature, and that's all we can do. I think it's the same with our daily lives. There is nothing wrong with striving to do better in certain areas of life, but actively aiming for something impossible is crazy, and will only leave us depressed. There isn't perfect balance in nature. Why do we expect it out of ourselves?

Are we just playing a game of Keeping Up with the Joneses? Pinterest is pretty, but we shouldn't start to believe a perfect body, wardrobe, relationship, wedding, career and baking skills can exist simultaneously in our lives like they can on a pin board.

My focus this year is career. My fitness and eating habits probably won't be perfect. I might not sleep as much as I should. But I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Wouldn't it to better to shift focus from one area to another instead of hoping to make every area of your life shine all at once?

As always, family comes first. I need them around so that I can feel confident and supported in my career, but that takes effort on my part to make time for them.

Perfection is impossible, and so is the perfect balance.Be gentle with yourself and your journey to success, whatever that means to you. Existing is hard work, and juggling everything takes stamina and determination. Conversely, that determination comes from meditation and understanding what matters most to you. Reflection and action in varying amounts, just like lightness and darkness.

Happy Friday!