Marta Cordell here, to help you create a more balanced lifestyle so that you can shine, not just in one area of your life, but in ALL areas of your life!
But first, why am I talking about living a more balanced lifestyle?
We spend a lot of time compartmentalizing the various areas of our lives: relationships, career, money, exercise, health…
but we all know that if one area is out of whack, our WHOLE life is affected.
Imagine making tons of money AND being in a loving, happy marriage BUT you have no time to exercise.
Pretty soon you will appreciate your flow of money and love less, simply because your body is not getting the exercise it needs to feel alive and energized.
That’s why it’s so important to think of your life as one holistic pie and to make the decision to put your energy into making every piece of that pie as satisfying as possible!
So what would creating a more balanced lifestyle look like?
Great question!
Creating a more balanced lifestyle would mean taking a really good look at all areas of your life:
relationships, career, money, exercise, health…and making decisions about what is and isn’t working in each area.
Sometimes the reason we stay stuck in unhealthy or unhappy areas of our lives is because it’s easier,….
in a way, to stay stuck in the familiarity than to find the creativity and energy to make the changes needed to improve our quality of life and move into the unknown.
But don’t worry, I am here to help you begin to IMAGINE what your life in balance would look and feel like, and to give you a great exercise for helping you get there!
How will I know if my current lifestyle is unbalanced?
Are you depleted, exhausted, dragging through your days, wondering where your energy went?
Do you know that you need build a healthier relationship to food, but keep finding yourself eating things that don’t nourish you?
Do you feel disconnected from things that used to bring you joy?
Do you feel so overwhelmed by everything you need to do, you just can’t get started on any of it?
Do you resent the things you do for other people because you feel like you’re not getting what you need?
Do you make plans to start new practices that are good for you, but end up putting them off, or start them and then can’t seem to maintain them?
Here’s the great news – there is nothing wrong with you!
You are not a weak person, or flawed beyond help, or any of those other terrible things we say about ourselves (and yes, we all do that at some point or another) so you can stop beating up on yourself right now!!
Your life is just out of balance, and I have a simple way for you to start bringing it back to that happy, healthy balanced state where you feel connected, nourished and fulfilled.
The truth is, life pulls us in many different directions. Friends, family, bosses, co-workers, and others in our lives all seek pieces of our time.
And then there are the things WE want to do. It can be overwhelming trying to sort through it all!
So, how do I fix it?
What I’ve got for you today is a simple exercise to figure out where your life is out of balance, so that you can refocus and reprioritize.
This will help you have some clarity, which will in turn, help you sift through all the little tugs on your time, so you can get to what is really important.
This exercise is called the Wheel of Life, and it’s a great way to discover what’s missing from your life, so that you can place your focus there,
and ease up on some of the areas where you already have abundance.
Ready? Let’s go!
The Wheel of Life
First, look at each section and place a dot on the line marking how satisfied you are with each area of your life.
A dot placed nearer the center of the circle indicates dissatisfaction, while a dot placed toward the outside indicates ultimate happiness.
When you have placed a dot on each of the lines, connect the dots to see your Wheel of Life.
Are there areas where your Wheel is flat? Are these areas calling to be NOURISHED? How so?
Next, consider the areas where your satisfaction is low. Which of these areas feels most important to give more attention to now?
Choose two areas you would most like to focus on improving, and for each area, identify one or two activities you would like to do regularly over the next month in order to become better fulfilled in each:
Area 1: _____________________________
Activity 1: ___________________________
How often would you like to do this activity over the next month? ___________________
Activity 2: ___________________________
How often would you like to do this activity over the next month? ___________________
Area 2: _____________________________
Activity 1: ___________________________
How often would you like to do this activity over the next month? ___________________
Activity 2: ___________________________
How often would you like to do this activity over the next month? ___________________
OK, now for the part that will make you go “Ahhhh…”!Take a look at the areas of your life where your satisfaction is higher, and identify one or two activities you can let go of to make room for your new activities.
Yes, I know, this can be a tough one, but if you want to be the architect of your own life, choices have to be made. The good news is, YOU get to be the one to make them!
Be honest with yourself here. Are there activities that drain your energy? Ones you are doing out of a feeling of obligation, but are resenting while you are doing them?
Ones that served you once, but no longer seem to fit into your vision of your best life?
Here’s a tip – we all have people who depend on us, and sometimes that’s a good thing, and part of our own fulfillment as well,
but sometimes it can be a major drain on our energy, and keep us from doing the things that would balance out our wheel.
What we lose sight of is that if we were not doing those things, those people depending on us would most often simply find another way to solve the problem!
Each of us has to choose which of these things are truly important for us to show up for, and which we need to begin to gently (but firmly) say no to.
It may be a little uncomfortable at first, both for you and for the person who is accustomed to you always saying yes,