What Is A Balanced Life?

What is a balanced life? That elusive sense that all the priorities and responsibilities of life are floating perfectly in relation to one another. If I’m living a balanced life, how do I know if I’m working too much? Spending enough time with my kids? Prioritizing self-care such as taking time to exercise and eat right?

When we define balance in its most basic definition it means a state of equilibrium. Equilibrium means a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces. The keyword here is equal. This implies that in order to create a balanced life all things are weighted equally. Take a moment to consider your own life for a moment. Are all things that fill your day equally important? Of course, they aren’t.

Living a balanced life is based on our personal priorities. And priorities are different for everyone. One person may put family above all else, while the next can’t remember the last time they visited their hometown. One person works so much that they often forget to stop and eat, while the other watches the clock in anticipation of quitting time for the moment they can get home to their kids. One person wakes up at 5 am to hit the gym before work, while another can’t remember the last time they exercised. No judgment; just different priorities.

On top of that, priorities are ever-changing. Different seasons of life will call for higher priorities in different areas. One might choose to focus on completing their education before looking for a life partner. Another might put off college for themselves until their kids are grown. While advancing in one’s career might take precedence over all else until one discovers their loved one is ailing then they put caring for that person at the time of their list. A balanced life is always going to mean different things to different people at different times.

What does it mean to live a balanced life?

We all want different things in life. Therefore what it means to live a balanced life is going to be different for each of us. No one else can determine what areas of life hold more weight in your life except for you. But let’s remember the idea of “equally weighted” as is generally implied when we think about creating a balanced life is a fallacy. In fact, balance is an urban legend. An imaginary fable that we’ve all heard about but few have attained. Franky, when we strive for the balanced life we are likely setting ourselves up for failure.

There’s never going to be a time when all things are equally important. When each area of our life calls for the exact same attention and focus. A past client, who happens to be trained as a geologist once explained to me the difference between balance and harmony in nature. It surprised me to learn that a thriving ecosystem is not in balance – it is in Harmony. All of the components of the ecosystem are working in Harmony for the mutual benefit of the whole. One element may be more dominant than another but that prominence is to the advantage of the well-being of the others.

Take a moment to consider yourself as your own ecosystem striving toward harmony. The harmony we are speaking of here is the combination of energies that when activated will bring you into alignment with your Soul. These aren’t necessarily elements one can see on the outside but ones on the inside. Energetic experiences that are your true Soul expression.

When you look at the concept of harmony versus balance in your life, it’s not the varied roles you play (spouse or partner, parent or friend, employee or business owner, sibling or offspring, caretaker or volunteer) or the tasks you have to complete that we should be trying to balance. In fact, if you look for even a moment you can see how there’s really no way to balance it all, is there?

How to live a balanced life

While we’ve spent all this time trying to create a balanced life, the truth is you aren’t meant to. Some things will always hold more weight than others. The more time we spend trying to make all the things in the outside world balance out, the less time we spend in harmony with ourselves; in alignment with your Soul.

When viewed this way, you can see there is really no such thing as a balanced life. At least not when it comes to external time and tasks. That’s the basic flaw in the concept of living a balanced life. It’s always based on externals – time and tasks; achievement and accomplishment. “How many hours do I dedicate to this area of my life? Where do I fit in this other thing I think I’m supposed to care about? What will it take for me to get (fill in the blank)?” The truth is none of that stuff actually matters.

In fact, the effort to achieve balance keeps harmony at bay. When we falsely believe we should give equal attention to the different areas of life we set ourselves up for failure. Life calls for Harmony. Just like a singing group working together, each with their unique part so that the notes come together to create a beautiful melody. The more in the moment you are, enjoying what is and not worrying about what’s next, the louder you can hear the beautiful melody of harmony in my life. Harmony begins within.

When it comes down to living a balanced life, it’s about the internal harmony you cultivate within through the expression and experience of the unique energetic qualities that make up your Soul; your Divine Coordinates. When we are striving for a balanced life what we are really seeking is the fulfillment we know is possible when we are honoring who we are at soul level. Knowing and being who you were born to be will finally give you what you have been looking for.