BALANCE... an all-important elixer of life to keep equilibrium... a much sought after space of mind, heart and Being. Renew yourself!

Thursday, August 17, 2006

What IS Balance, Anyways?

Hello friend,
Since one of the questions we get asked from time to time is, "What IS balance?" I thought I'd address it here in my blog for all to read. Good question.

Some people we question tend to envision and aspire to the following description as representing the balanced life they seek...

"Balance - a life free from strain and struggle, one of feeling continually upbeat and untouched by the negatives of the surrounding world. Continual harmony... happiness and ease."

Can this be possible? This description is not very realistic, especially in the face of the growing pressure the world, communities, families and individuals face today. I don't have to recite the struggles we all face, you are already well aware of them yourself.

What is true about balance, then? Here's one way of considering the notion.

It is simply true that life consists of extremes... like a tension between the opposites. If we try to continually live in the neutral middle zone, I suspect we would likely be dead, figuratively if not for real.

Desperately straining to keep yourself "still in life" for fear of experiencing the shitty times, you will fall into static lifelessness. Imagine walking a tightrope... you have to admit that not even a practiced artist could be perfectly steady the whole time. Instead, every tightrope walker sways from side to side in order to gain practice, and with practice they learn the balancing skills to go beyond the inclination to fall over completely. Well, life is like that, too.

Image provided by Dreamstime.com

Balance is a dynamic process... a verb, rather than a noun...active and ever-changing. To remain as much in balance as possible, it is important to vacillate between the extremes, but with practice you will become accustomed to life's natural rhythms of change... and hopefully spend more time in the "steady balance" of life.

So, we urge you, instead of fighting against the unhappy times, experiment with knowing these times as fully as you can... for they teach us life lessons and offer positive attributes, if we allow ourselves to acknowledge and own them. When we fully embrace the rough times of life, then of course the happy times can be truly happy...especially because you fully know the opposite extreme.

Interesting idea, hey.

Consider, what you do in times of struggle and unhappiness.
- Do you buffer against these times?
- Do you busy yourself even more, or do you wallow in your pain?


How you deal with those dark times will reveal really important information to you... offering you something to look at within yourself so you can redirect some loving attention to regain your center point of balance again.

Accept the great times, for they are blessed gifts to experience, and...
accept the rough times, for they are blessed gifts to also experience.

An alive person is able to move between the extremes... this is the real meaning of finding and coming into balance.

Warmly, Carolyn
your Personal Change Consultant

Inner Fitness(R) Programs
www.innerfitness.ca

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