Life Balance ? What’s that.
Last week I asked for companions on the great adventure of creating a full and rich lifestyle while getting older. My vision is for building a business while maintaining my health and enjoying the world around me. Your vision might be different. You might call this life balance. You might see this as another way to visualize your perfect day. Maybe you think of it as a way to avoid one of the three train wrecks of life that looms in front of you. It might be finance. It might be health. It might be relationships.
Losing my balance
Lately my attention has focused on working my business plans. Somehow I wasn’t making time for exercise and fun. It was very clear that I was out of balance. I was also in denial. I told myself that it would be alright as soon as the business takes hold. It is so easy to lie to yourself about the consequences of your actions. I was saying that I would do those things when money rolls in. The lie is in believing that you can always do something that you defer today. It is a lie when you are young but it is a major deception as you reach senior status. You have less time but that is not the most serious problem. If you don’t use your body, it loses strength and capability. Many of the limitation of aging are less with the deterioration of your body over time and more with loss of capability from lack of use. Use it or lose it is never truer than as you age.
Taking Charge
This week I implemented a change. I have long said that I wanted to do some hiking. I have lived for five years in the Sierra foothills and experienced very little of the beauty all around me. Not this week. Friday I took a short hike to Bassi Falls. It is an easy two mile hike to a spectacular waterfall in the Crystal Basin Recreation Area. The hike was fine but getting there and getting home was an adventure. More about the adventure later. Right now, we are talking life balance and the benefits of exercise and stimulation to complement hard work and mental focus on an essential task. It was delightful to be at 6,000 feet surrounded by majestic pines and breathing clean air. Hiking a trail, even an easy one makes you move in different ways from normal walking. Muscles are working that are normally unused . Senses are fully stimulated with new sights. Your mind becomes concerned about making the right decision about where to step. Even an easy hike on a well marked trail takes you to new levels of consciousness and experience. Every power you posses is in use as you look at the beauty, keep your balance and plan your course over the twists and turns, smooth and rough terrain of the trail. This hike let my mind work on different problems and engage the new and beautiful surroundings. I came back invigorated and refreshed, a better and healthier man.
Refining my plans
My original idea was to devote one day each week to a hike. This may prove too ambitious or perhaps I can find trails closer to home that will make it easier to get me going. Maybe one day a week is too much. I have to work out the details. What I know is that it felt great to start getting my life balance adjusted. Have you looked at your life balance and decided that it needed changing? What have you done or what do you plant to do? If you are taking my glorious adventure challenge, share your actions and join the team. If you want to see the beauty of Bassi Falls then check out my pictures.
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed your hike.Everyone always stresses the importance of keeping a proper balance between work and play, but it’s really easy to become a workaholic and promise yourself that you’ll take it easy “tomorrow.” Maybe you can even begin blogging about the changes you notice with your site and business once you get into a regular routine of giving yourself a break to hike once a week. Good luck!
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Steve,
That is exactly what I was doing – going one dimensional while preaching life balance. I wasn’t really thinking about how it might affect my blog but your suggestion makes sense. Actually check out tomorrow’s post.
I toohave been neglecting way too much of myself for business and family. And too much business for family. That balance is very difficult. I wish I could go hiking with you Ralph.
Justin Matthews’s last Blog Post ..Stumble, Stumble, Stumble (upon), Fall!
Don’t get your syllables stressed until after you get the new baby settled in and your wife is happy. Meanwhile, lie about fishing.
You have to take some time off to recharge your body. Whether it’s hiking or simply to go jogging. You have to do something similar to that.
You can’t always work on your business plans that’s what I had to learn the hard way too 😉
It amazes me how much discipline it takes because it seems irresponsible not to be working.
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