To be honest, I have been wanting to talk about and write about the topic of balance for awhile now. Believe it or not, just the word- balance- can evoke strong emotions and opinions, especially in the personal development realm. Perhaps there was some fear of what people might say or how they would react to my personal take on balance. Which brings me to where I am today. I want to share my views. It comes down to the simple fact that I feel we all have a unique take on the same topics and it is our right and dare I say responsibility to share with the world. Specifically for me, it is so important for me to keep being authentic and showing up for you all as much as I possibly can-warts and all.

The one thing I will say before I dive in, is that the beauty of reading or listening to other people’s thoughts and opinions is that you have the power to sift through the information, take what works and leave the rest. That is honestly what I hope you do. If you get even one small nugget that inspires you to make a shift in your mindset or to take some different action, then I will consider this a win. My goal is never to convince anyone of anything. I am here to share what I have learned and am continuing to learn along the way. I welcome you all to do the same- by sharing your comments below or joining the Simply Big Life Facebook group, where there is space for us all to show up and enjoy the benefits of a like- minded community.

For starters, lets talk about my personal definition of balance. I believe balance is more of a feeling than a tangible set of rules with dos and dont’s. When I hear someone say they don’t believe in balance, I TOTALLY get it! It appears that this perspective comes from viewing a balanced life as merely a checklist that at the end of the day needs to be split evenly in order to achieve the perfect balance. Now, like I said I absolutely understand that this view would be off putting and frustrating. The reality of life is that we will never find the perfect anything. We are human beings having a human experience, so there will always be outliers and unexpected events that will attempt to throw us out of whack or out of balance.

Here’s the good news, I believe with some minor mindset shifts, we can reframe balance, what it means to us and how it manifests in our daily lives. We get to choose! We get to define it for ourselves and then decide if it fits into our view of how we want to live our life! Sound good? You’re in the driver’s seat. If trying to achieve the perfect balance on a daily basis makes you unbelievably stressed out, join the club!

It has only been in the past few years, when I was able to stop trying SO hard to do ALL the things and juggle all the balls that I “should” have in the air as a mom and a wife, that I was able to step back and feel the effects of a balanced life. It feels really good. For me- It is a mind and body that are at peace, that know when it’s time to rest and when it’s time to kick it into high gear and work. It looks like the freedom to be present with the people I love the most and fully engaging in the moment when it’s happening. Balance is having the self awareness to be able to say no to the things that I really don’t want to do and would drain my precious energy. While at the same time saying yes to the things that are in alignment with my values and priorities.

So, when I say balance, I don’t mean 50/50- down the middle- a perfectly balanced and even life. I mean being in the flow with all of the parts that make up your life. Feeling a sense of peace and clarity when it comes to how you are spending your time and who you are spending it with. The truth is, you can call it by whatever name you want. I happen to like the word balance and balancing. It reminds me of yoga and the balancing poses that have always been my favorite part. In order to find a steady state of being you need to lean into the tension- sometimes more in one direction and then eventually leaning to the other direction to remain upright.

In real life this can look so many different ways. A really good example is with my business and my family. My top 3 priorities are 1. My HEALTH- because if Im not good, nothing else will be. 2. My family and 3. My business. There are seasons of my business where I am able to pull back and take a “break” although thats never a full break because I LOVE WHAT I DO! But times when I step back and I am able to focus more on my family and being with the kids- like this past summer when they were not in school. That was family time (Leaning into it) . Now that they are back to school, it is time for me to step up and work more on my business (Lean the other way). Now, of course this doesn’t mean that it’s all work and no family. It simply means the balance and steadiness is being restored between those 2 priorities.

It feels good to know that I can embrace each season for what it is, knowing that by very definition they will always be changing and along with a new season will come a new theme or focus or area to lean into. If you want to dig deeper and get more tips about how to find your unique blend for balance, be sure to join me here, so I can get to know you and keep you in the loop for some of the exciting things that are happening with A Simply Big Life this Fall!

I say all this to encourage you! I see you, I feel you. And just know that you don’t have to do it all. Start with getting clear on what your top 3-5 priorities are. From there you can begin to explore and feel for yourself the push and pull and eventual steadiness of your unique formula for a balanced life.