F is for Finding Balance: Finding Balance in 2015

Okay guys, January is over and its time to get settled into the year. Time to start or continue working on your goals for the year. This is serious homework so settle in, grab a pen and paper and find a quiet spot. yep, I said pen and paper because we are going to make 2015 look like 5 years.

“Our lives are like clay on a potter’s wheel. Each day, the wheel turns anew, and with our decisions and choices we shape our lives. Your life is your masterpiece, your unique creation.”
Finding balance is something I think is going to be very essential this year especially this February. As we end January with all the hoopla and New Year’s resolutions, it becomes eminent that we have to draw a road map this month. Simply knowing where we want to go is not enough; a lot of times we know we want to be happy, healthy and successful and what that means is different for us all, nevertheless we have to figure out how to get there.
So I suggest you find a quiet spot, grab a pen and a notebook because this is serious business, my people… *winks
Over time I have discovered that maintaining a healthy life balance is not only essential for happiness and well-being, it can be a tremendous boost to productivity and career or business success as well. A well-balanced person has a far greater ability to focus their attention and energy on attaining their goals, taking productive actions and moving forward in a meaningful way.
The big question is…What does life balance really mean? What would a balanced life look like to us? And most importantly, how do we go about achieving it in the midst of our crazy schedules?
There are steps you can take to change what isn’t working and get back some control and balance in your life. And once you start seeing results you’ll be better equipped to maintain that new found equilibrium. The key is not to try to change everything at once, but to make small adjustments over time to determine what works for you. Eventually you will have a whole new set of positive life habits and you’ll never look back.
Today I will be sharing 3 of my favorite and time tried tools in finding balance in my life because trust me life can get crazy and out-of-control.

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE.CIRCLE OF CONCERN

This is an excellent tool that helps look critically at where we focus our time and energy. We each have a wide range of concerns — our health, our children, problems at work, our aged parents and so much more. We can separate these our concerns from things in which we have no particular mental or emotional involvement by creating a “Circle of Concern and as we look at those things within our Circle of Concern, it becomes apparent that there are some things over which we have no real control and others that we can do something about. We can identify those concerns that we have direct control over and place them within a smaller circle; a Circle of Influence. By determining which of these two circles to focus most of our time and energy, we can improve our efficiency exponentially. So think today, Do you want to focus on things within your circle of influence; things you have a direct control over or you what to focus on everything within your circle of concern?

GOAL SETTING

Philosopher Herb Shepherd describes the healthy balanced life around four dimensions: Physical, Mental, Spiritual and Social. Let’s break it down.

Finding Balance for me means exercising all four dimensions regularly and consistently, in wise and balanced ways.

The Physical Dimension: The physical dimension involves caring effectively for my physical body; What, when and how I eat, getting sufficient rest and relaxation, and exercising on a regular basis.

The Spiritual Dimension: This is my core and center. This is a very private and important area of my life and I will share at a later date a list of my spiritual essentials and it includes essentials like Volunteering, fasting, prayer and meditation. It draws upon the sources that inspire and uplift me and tie into the timeless truths of all humanity.

The Mental Dimension: Most of our mental development and study discipline comes through formal education. But as soon as we leave the external discipline of school, many of us let our minds atrophy. We don’t do any more serious reading nor writing; we don’t explore new subjects in any real depth outside our action fields. Reading quality literature and writing are examples of areas I set my mental goals in. Basically, Mental Dimension covers : Career goals, Financial goals and Intellectual goals

The Social Dimension: The social dimension is developed and manifested in my relationships with others. I set my social goals first from how I relate with myself, to how I relate to my family, to my community, to my workplace and on and on.

One very important question in goal setting for me is this: “What do I really want to do with my life?” I will return to this question, over and over again, in months and years ahead. “What do I really want to do with my life?”
I have a similar goal settling list for my children as well.

VISION BOARD

The final tool and one of my personal favorites is the vision board which is basically creating a pictural view of all my goals for the year. Creating a dream board or vision board is very similar to writing out your goals in life, except a vision invokes more emotion than simply writing out your goals. This difference adds an interesting element that has proved to be powerful for me and many others. For my vision board I use the Pinterest app. There are loads of pictures there and it’s just simply a very cool website. So don’t wait, please head over to view my Vision board for 2015, create an account and start pinning. Search for images that speak to you and do follow my board here.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s make 2015 and beyond amazing!!

A Final Word:

PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE If it seems like you’re working and working and your goal is still a long way off – don’t get discouraged. You are never wasting your time! You’re always learning and building momentum towards your future in the form of experience, self-knowledge, and confidence.
A good sense of humor is also very important. When stuff threaten to overwhelm you – stop! Take an break. Even 30 minutes spent doing something enjoyable and relaxing can liberate your mind and emotions and help you return to your tasks with renewed concentration and energy.

Do you have a Vision Board you would like to share or a story about how it worked for you?

Love Zansi

Twitter: @zansisgroove

Website: http://www.zansisgroove.wordpress.com

Email: zansisgroove@gmail.com