Ever hear people use the phrase “….on the road of life.”  Well, after pondering this for some time,  I have realized that everyone one of us is on some type of proverbial road to somewhere. You just need to define where you want the road to go.  Consider it the best adventure you have ever been on.  In order to fully embrace the adventure consider adding the word “rhythm” into your journey or adventure – if you want a smooth trip through life you should.  You see I think on the road to pursuing a life a balance, we miss the point of understanding that it is actually a better rhythm of living that we are trying to achieve.  A pendulum effect of sorts.

Here are a few ideas to help you develop a better rhythm while on the road to embracing your life adventure.

Shift your Perspective.

Trying to establish a more manageable rhythm in our lives is challenging at the best of times. With work, family and community commitments often pulling us in various directions, we have too much to do and not enough hours in the day to finish what we want.  When you hear the word balance, does it conjure up thoughts of the impossible for you?

It’s all about taking those baby steps.  If you start to prioritize what makes sense to you in the various areas of your life, you will soon start to shift your perspective on this topic of balance.

The Balancing Act called Life.

Think about the five main areas of your life:  Family, Work, Health, Faith and Fun or Leisure.   Take some time to think of your life and the priorities for you in these areas of your life and write them down.  Be honest with yourself to gain a clear picture of what your life looks like.

Example:  If you are currently devoting over 40% of your day to work, 25% to family, 15% to health, 15% to personal growth and a mere 5% to fun or leisure time, your life will most likely feel totally out of balance.  You may be experiencing feelings of stress due to constantly searching for that 25^th hour in every day just to get everything done in these areas…..and with little reward.  Sound familiar?

Identify your problem areas and make the decision to begin acting on the changes needed to bring about a more desirable rhythm so you can enjoy life’s adventure!

Paula Morand is a dedicated wife, mother and lover of life.  She is the Founder and CEO of JumpStart 720, an award winning leadership coaching company that is committed to powering life by engaging individuals, companies and communities to more intentional living.  For more information:  www.jumpstart720.com

Has it ever occurred to you that when it comes to the concept of work-life balance that most people have this perfectionist attitude toward it? Perfectionist, meaning that we have this ideal picture in our head that in order to have perfect balance, we need to have every area of our life equal to the other. If this doesn’t happen, it only exacerbates our feelings of failure.

Here is what I think. Balance should be treated as a ‘bad word’ to be avoided since it represents a state or effect that is not humanly possible.

There is so much emphasis placed on achieving work-life balance that we have now added the stress of pursuing a state of being that one will never achieve; especially if we analyze it on a daily basis. Really, how can one be in a perfect state of balance every single day? It is simply not realistic.

What is realistic? To understand that just like the pendulum on a clock, your life has a rhythm to it. For it to work, it must be constantly moving. The challenge then is to create a rhythm that works for your life; understanding that there are some days, weeks, months or years that your work for example might take a larger portion of your energy.

So replace the word ‘balance’ with the word ‘harmony’ or ‘rhythm’…that’s really what you’re trying to achieve isn’t it?

Here are a few tips to think about:

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO NOT BE PERFECT; achieving harmony is a process.
Understand that you are on a journey and that journey is called life. Life does interrupt even the best laid plans and that includes the pursuit of harmony. In understanding this, you will allow yourself the breathing room to do the best that you can do.

MAKE CHOICES THAT ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE.
The idea of harmonic living is wonderful, however it has to fit with your life and your aspirations. There is no ‘cookie cutter’ approach to living in harmony as each individual has a rhythm that is unique to them.

FAKE ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT.
Although you may not feel like you have it all together – if you make a conscious choice to stay in tune with your priorities and understand that these may change, your rhythm will come.

MEASURE YOUR RHYTHM MONTHLY OR YEARLY, NOT DAILY.
In my life, my busy months for work are January to April and September to November. However, summer is a time where for three months, I solely focus on my children and family. This is when we can take an extended time-out with one another and all look forward to it. As a family, we are all aware of the rhythm of our household and we all play a part in it.

GET CONSENSUS with your loved ones and communicate your frustration…you may just find a harmonic solution by talking it out.

Paula Morand is a dedicated wife, mother and lover of life.  She is the Founder and CEO of JumpStart 720, an award winning leadership coaching company that is committed to powering life by engaging individuals, companies and communities to more intentional living.  For more information:  www.jumpstart720.com

Dan and I recently travelled to Pompano Beach, to the OC Media Studio, to tape a segment on The Balancing Act for Lifetime Television Network. We were greeted by such a great team of staff on the set of of this daily women’s morning show. I was being interviewed about my experience as an entrepreneur and how the whole work-life balance fits in.

In pondering that, it just comes down to the fact that it isn’t easy. I don’t know if it consistently gets easier or rather it just takes focused decision making and the willingness to commit to your family and say no to things that don’t honour that commitment.

Everybody needs ‘me’ time, but the ‘we’ time of family goes so fast. Before you know it, they are leaving home and you pine for the days when you could return to snuggles and playtime with your kids. I choose family.