I enjoy yoga. It helps me feel centered, balanced and energized. During one of the routines that I follow, my instructor asks me to move from a chair pose into a pose that ends with me standing on my tiptoes with my hands and arms stretched high in the air. The instruction I receive is to get up as high as I can on my toes, then he says, "don’t think about how high you are getting on your toes, think about how high your hands are in the air, and then, quit thinking."
This thought always boggles my mind. How can I raise up on my toes and stretch my hands and arms as high as I can without thinking about it? it seems so counterintuitive, yet it really is the only way that I can reach maximum height. As long as I am focused on the minor mechanics required to get myself in the air, I can never truly soar.
The Balance We All Seek
This thought of course got me thinking about the balance that each of us hopes for between our personal and professional experiences. So many people I meet are so intently focused on finding the balance that they fail to really look for it. They just get caught up in doing instead of being.
If we really want to discover balance in our lives, then we must learn to quit thinking and to start being. It is easier said than done and it takes a lot of practice. The demands of the day often get in our way, and we are not very good at saying no. As a result we are often so over-burdened that we can’t stop for even a minute to relax and enjoy life. Running here and there is a never ending cycle. It will always be there for us, so it is ok to step off the merry-go-round of life for a few moments to catch our breath. All we have to do is "quit thinking".
Finding What Works For You
Too many of us are striving for the world’s vision of balance, but very few of us ever really get there. That is because only a few of us are like the person who created the definition that happened to catch on. Living in balance is something different for every one of us. What does it mean to you? If you don’t know the answer to that question, you will probably never feel it. It is critical to define it so that you can determine where you currently are and how you need to develop so you can get where you want to be.
Discovering what it means, does not begin by asking, "what do I want?" That is a good question, but it is not any where near as powerful as, "what do I need?"
When I begin with my wants, I always end up feeling some level of dissatisfaction because it is very difficult to get everything I want. When I understand what I need, then my wants seem to fall in line with that vision, and for whatever reason, I end up feeling like I have everything that I want. Living to meet the need fulfills me. living to satisfy the want leaves me empty.
Think about it for a while and then compile a list of the things you need. What needs are being met? Where do you need to apply more focus? Don’t worry about where you are falling short. I want you instead to celebrate all the areas of satisfaction that you are presently experiencing and then make a commitment to soar even higher. You can do it! I will be watching for you.
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