Innovation Genaration

WHAT IS BALANCE?Contrary to popular belief, balance is not an end point destination or a “thing” to be acquired. It is dynamic and always changing. Balance is more of a process not a place. Take a moment and get up from your chair and stand on one foot for 20 seconds. Feel the small adjustments being made in the foot planted on the ground. These adjustments are what enable you to steady yourself on one foot and keep your balance. When working with my clients to achieve greater balance in their personal or professional lives, we focus on small changes and fine-tuning some key areas of their life enabling them move towards greater life harmony.

Balance is unique to each individual. A balanced life will look very different from one person to the next. The challenge is that most people have not given much thought to what a balanced life truly means to them. Too often it means maintaining everything currently going on in their life but with less chaos, stress, pressure or pain.

ASSESING BALANCEBalance is assessed over time and must include the entire flow of your life, not just one segment such as 9 AM – 5 PM. To identify what small changes and fine-tuning is needed, I ask my clients to fill out an assessment tool called the Wheel of Life (blank assessment tools can be found at my website).  The wedges around the wheel represent the main areas of a person’s life. An individual’s wheel is unique and can be modified by adding or removing wedges in order to best represent their unique life.

The center of the wheel represents 0 and the outer edges 10. I ask my clients to rate each wedge of their wheel on a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being completely dissatisfied and 10 meaning highly satisfied with that area of their life. A score is entered for the wedge and then a curved line drawn to represent the score and ultimately create the outer edge of their Wheel.

The goal of assessing the current balance of your life is not about getting 10’s in all of the wedges, but to identify areas where you feel out of balance so you can create a smoother ride. A bumpy ride is a key indicator that the balance of your life is in need of an alignment. Keep in mind this assessment is a snapshot of life at this moment. Remember, balance is a state of being that you are either moving away from or towards as a result of the decisions you are making. There will be times when your life may look radically out of balance to the outside observer. For example, when striving for a major goal such as moving to a new city or starting a business, it’s understandable that much of your time, thoughts, and energy will be directed towards that goal. The key is to not let that imbalance become a permanent condition in your life, but rather a temporary state that is part of your long-term balance strategy.

Raising your awareness becomes a way of beginning the process of change. This awareness immediately raises the question: “What would it take for me to experience life with greater fluidity?”

WHAT WILL YOU DO?Will you take the time to reflect on your own life balance or will this just be an interesting article that you’ve read and discarded?

If you are ready to take some steps towards a life of greater fluidity, then I encourage you to print off a blank wheel of life and take some time to assess your current level of life balance.

After completing your own assessment, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you see, or it may affirm the bumpy ride. Whichever the case may be, I want you to know that you CAN achieve the balance, harmony, and peace in your life you desire! If you need more assistanceScience Articles, I know a GREAT COACH!

We all know having an organized home allows us to spend more time doing the things we want to do. For me it is more time to quilt, for others it may be gardening, exercising, cooking, working on a hobby, or spending more time with family. So how do we go about getting our family organized?

Remember the movie ‘Field of Dreams’? Build it and they will come. It is the same scenario with organizing. Begin by organizing drawers, cupboards, rooms, closets; have designated places for everything–where they will live and sure enough those things will find their way back to their homes. Family members actually like it better when they know where things belong. Label drawers or shelves to make it easier to put things back and to find them later.

Share the responsibilities in the home with everyone. Write out a simple contract with each family member and have them sign it. This gets their commitment and chances are greater that they will follow through with tasks assigned. Put the contracts along with the assigned task in a binder that is labeled and placed on a shelf were everyone can reach it. I don’t like to call them chores because just the name sounds like drudgery.

Keep tasks appropriate to age and capability. Start young teaching organization. Two year olds and even younger can start putting a book on a shelf or a toy in the toy box. By starting young it makes it much easier as it becomes a way of life for them to be organized.

I remember picking raspberries when I was a child. My mother was picking on the other side of the row. It was hot and tiring picking one or two berries at a time and placing them in my bucket tied around my waist. Once in awhile my mom would reach through the row and put a hand full of berries in my bucket. Wow, it was such a great feeling seeing my bucket getting fuller faster that it made me get back to work and work all the faster.

Show children exactly how to do the assigned task. Work along with them until they know what is expected. Once in awhile chip in and help them after they are able to do it on their own. This is a great boost to them and they will reciprocate by helping you stay organized or doing one of your tasks.

Charts are wonderful tools to inspire children and show them not only what needs to be done but they show their progress. Rotate assignments on a weekly basis. There are many charts that can be purchased to chart their progress. Or use a dry erase board; make one out of paper using stickers when a job is completed, or use a magnetic board. Point out what a good job they are doing and how good it feels to be organized.

Make organizing fun, It doesn’t have to be a chore. Make organizing interesting, get everyone’s input and ideas on the best way to do things and use their ideas so they feel a sense of pride and ownership about the way things are done.

Notice where a family member is already organized and build on that strength by praising them. We are all good at doing some thing. By focusing on the positive and encouraging them to become organized, strengths will come out in other areas too without nagging or getting angry.

Motivating family members may be challenging at first, but it is rewarding when you see them putting things away where they belong and it takes much of the frustration out of what could be daily hassles. Not to mention all the time it saves.