Balance. This is one of the keys to success often undermined by those reaching for their highest potentials. It is disconcerting that so many people with great skills, diligence and good intentions fail due to their lack of observation in the yin and yang of nature.
Just today, I was surfing the musician union's website when I came across an interesting article on balance. It reminded me of the staggering number of people I know who allude to this practice in our hurried lifestyle while struggling to get their head around things. So, for those of you seeking happiness in the real world, let me start by reassuring you that the practice of balance is not reserved for illusive zen masters in a barren land.
We are all destined for great things and as we evolve into better understanding of that greatness, we will be reminded of the fundamental truth that even the best of us are often not immune to being off-balanced on every odd day or so. Thus, if you find yourselves feeling a bit under the weather every now and then, just hang in there.
Even when I think back on those lousy mornings, swamped and pathetically incapable of peeling my body off the mattress, as I lay sprawled in my dreams in search of higher incentives to do so... nostalgia plays it's weight upon me. Though effectively, I manage to resist entertaining that sinking feeling with a perky little one-liner that Candy and I made-up once, to remind ourselves to get on top. It goes like this:
"If people do not feel robbed of their enjoyment in life, they will utterly refuse to be kept on the curb."
Incredibly, most times staying upbeat is just about remembering the enjoyable things in life. The reality for most is that life is never ALL that bad. It's just that some days we wake up clouded with heavy thoughts on one particular area of our life and it precariously spirals us into a succession of blue Mondays. Other days we wake with a happy thought; a sudden stroke of appreciation for a certain discovery or an old obsession.. and all at once everything is hunky dory for days on end.
So, if you ever find yourself victimize by one of these seemingly unpredictable lows of nature, the first thing you can do to stop this from happening is to simply zoom out and look at the bigger picture of your life.
+ zoom out +
What you'll see is that, it's just an emotional feeling(usually of one imbalance area of your entire life) right at this moment that is spiraling you downwards. You will start to see that this one heavy roadblock blinds you to many other areas of your life that has accumulated great value. You will also notice how this gives the illusion that everything seem so unbearable right now.
I am not suggesting that you ignore the problematic area and I cannot stress enough about the priority of finding some kind of resolution to amend it...
But the idea here, is by first zooming out to focus on other areas of your life where you have had success with, this will defiantly give you a quick lift, infusing you with the energy and faith to overcome your current roadblock.
See where this problem area lies in the context of your entire life-map! This will lessen the magnification of it's intensity and make it easier to go forth and find solutions for that mere little thorn in your side.
Ultimately, a balance view of your life in general will greatly increase your confidence in tackling specific little areas. It will also speed you up to effective problem solving, a quality which makes for great leadership.
So, make sure you take a good look at where you fair well in your life before you tackle the imbalance areas that need your immediate attention! This way you'll be feeling all tip top and ready to go to war each day. (Solving imbalanced areas would be a whole new topic but for now here's a tip:- googling the right words to the problem areas of your life will lead to many ideas and feedback from others that will enable you to form a personal solution.)
Peace - Colorful Blac
