Where did you get your first idea of what a balanced life was supposed to look like? Was it at home, in your community, at school, or from television? Wherever you developed the picture from, has it been easy to attain or maintain it? If your response is no, then you’re not alone.
Many women in life and business strive to create balanced lives while pursuing their goals and dreams. The challenge that I have observed as a coach and mentor, is that this picture of balance is not based on a personal vision but derives from the perception of other people’s lives.
Nowadays, it’s easy to fall in love with a complete stranger’s life with the rise of social media. Although there is nothing wrong with admiring the successes of others, it becomes unhealthy to allow their life to become our vision.
We’re exposed to many variations of balanced lives without all of the details of what it took to make it happen. One example is Terri Savelle-Foy, she makes going after your dreams while being an amazing mom, wife, daughter, bestselling author, and internationally beloved speaker look like a piece of cake on her Instagram. But the reality is, she is working on her balanced life daily, just like us.
Using a picture of balance for someone you admire as your definition of balance can leave you discouraged, frustrated, and self-defeated. The first thing I will encourage you to release is that picture and create your own.
Creating Your Personal Picture
You may have a similar dream as someone else, but we all have distinct journeys. This is why we must release that picture and create our own. The things that should be considered when creating the picture of a balanced prosperous life are:
- Goals: Clearly define your goals.
- Season: Evaluate the current season of your life.
- Existing Commitments: Are you able to attain this goal in respect to your existing commitments?
- Resources: Do you have the financial support, time, and physical resources to get the job done?
Creating a healthy desired picture of the future will enable you to have resilience, determination, and resourcefulness to work for you when life shifts into an unplanned direction. Don’t try to craft the perfect plan and strategy, because your future may not come about the way you hoped or imagined it would.
Making Adjustments
But what happens when the unexpected happens?
Instead of perceiving that you’re not balanced when things go awry and kicking yourself for being unprepared, be open minded to it. The very nature of balance is working through that moment of craziness and making the proper adjustments to maintain the decision to stay focused. These moments are an opportunity to truly experience balance based on how you respond to the unexpected.
This is why I define balance as having the ability to be flexible and adjust when the unexpected happens, while still staying focused. The need for unexpected adjustments is not the sign of poor planning, it’s a part of life. Adjusting is a part of maintaining balance in life.
Think about it. Have you ever tried to stand completely straight while holding one leg up? Most of us will likely wobble a bit, but if we stay focused on keeping that leg up and remain determined to find our balance, we’ll become stable. The same is true in life; we must be willing to make adjustments and to maintain balance.
As an entrepreneur, living a balanced life shouldn’t be an option; it should be maintained as a priority. Instead of trying to anxiously prepare or plan, be open every morning to take on the day and make adjustments as needed. That ready attitude is someone who can live a balanced and prosperous life.
Main Factors to Maintain a Balanced and Prosperous Life
There is a pattern for maintaining a balanced and prosperous life. And these are the main factors:
Have a Well-Rounded Vision
Create a vision for every area of your life, so when a season demands more, you won’t become discouraged. Be open minded to how your life is going. Make adjustments when needed, but don’t focus solely on seeking perfection.
Create Healthy Open Communication
As a balanced entrepreneur, to create wealth, you’ll need people who can support you and that you can lean on. Major transitions in your life don’t leave anyone behind; people leave people behind as they enter new seasons. Healthy communication with others is a must in the good and the bad times. It’s the power to keep everything together even under pressure.
Express Your Respected Boundaries
In order to stay balanced in your relationships, set respected boundaries that fit your goals and personal commitments and value your relational connections. Remember to still be considerate of others’ own goals and boundaries as well.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Protect your progress by holding yourself accountable. Accountability doesn’t just promote your progress, but it protects the level of progress you’re going to experience in life and in business.
Consistently Reflect and Evaluate Your Life
When you’re committed to consistently reflecting and evaluating yourself, you’ll promote living the balanced and prosperous life that you dreamed of.
Enlist Mentors
It may be difficult to transparently trust someone with our vulnerabilities, but we need people in our lives who can point out our blind spots. Mentorship is key to bringing a new level of perspective and feedback, if you’re ready for it.
The Benefits of Balance
Remaining balanced as an entrepreneur will help you to recognize yourself as capable, worthy, and create a clear vision that you’re willing to commit and work towards. When you shift your mindset, what felt like an obstacle in your past can be viewed as an opportunity in your future. You do have the ability to reach peak potential and create wealth in a variety of ways, within your relationships, your experiences, and in business success.
About the Author
Octoryia Robinson is the Founder and CEO of Dream That Big Publishing, the author of Unraveled Potential, and the host of the podcast 7-Figure Authorpreneur. She serves as a consultant, success coach, philanthropist, and motivational speaker.