“There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.” ― Alain de Botton
I can remember a time that if someone told me to take a ‘rest,’ I would be laughing hysterically and sarcastically as I considered everything I was feeling I ‘had to do’ during the holidays in addition to everything else that also ‘had to get done.’
So, if you are laughing right now, I completely understand.
Back then, I felt as if I had to keep working harder and harder towards finally being able to find a balance of money, health, romance, and fun before I could even consider slowing down and taking a rest.
And, back then, most of the time I felt like my life was like a toddler banging on a pile of pots and pans – especially during the holiday season — rather than a gorgeous orchestra playing a beautiful symphony of rhapsodic melodies.
I would go for days on end without catching my breath. I burned out my adrenal system and I wound up in bed for two years….a forced rest stop.
I learned from the experience and this is no longer true about my life.
Everything changed when I chose to stop seeking balance and chose instead to attract harmony.
My transformation was inspired as I was listening to classical music one day. I began to notice how the instruments would weave in and out – prominently featured at some times and quiet at others. I realized that it is the rest periods that add so much beauty and harmony to the full musical composition.
If all the instruments played every note throughout the entire composition, the sound would become monotonous and the individual qualities of each instrument would disappear into the noise.
I realized that a musical composition was a magnificent metaphor for my life.
Prior to my confinement in bed, my typical day consisted of playing ‘beat the clock’ by banging out many notes all at once and getting through them as quickly as possible without catching my breath in order to feel productive in a bizarre attempt to create work-life balance.
For example:
*Getting on the computer as soon as I woke up before even brushing my teeth or getting a glass of water
*Going from one meeting to the next without even a bathroom break
*Eating meals while on my phone or computer.
*Staying up to all hours of the night attempting to catch up on every one of the notes and emails I had received during the day (you get the idea *wink*)
What I learned as a result of listening to music while I was recuperating is that there will always be more emails, more events, more requests, more opportunities – an abundance of activities available to do. If I choose to do them…and to enjoy them fully…I must be sure my energy is fully re-charged in-between each one and give each one the attention it deserves.
And, that means taking self-intentional time-outs and rest stops!
Did I really want to attempt to do everything all at once – rushing through every activity in order to get to the next one as quickly as possible?
Or, would I prefer to give my attention to only a few activities at a time, taking a rest stop in-between each one in order to prepare to give my full focus to the next one in order to savor the success of its accomplishment?
I realized as well that I had not been prioritizing my activities according to which ones made the biggest difference towards the achievement of my goals. Everything had seemed equally important.
So, I chose which ‘instruments’ (activities) I would play the majority of the time and which ones would not be featured as much. This automatically gave me more space in my day.
And, then I scheduled the activities on my calendar with specific beginning and end times to support me in staying focused on one at a time.
For example, I schedule a set amount of time each day for providing private coaching, a set amount of time for interacting with my group coaching participants in my VIP groups on Facebook, a set amount of time each week for writing these Attraction Tips, a set amount of time each day for private time with my husband, a set amount of time for giving focused attention to my pets, a set amount of time each day for my meals and my sleep and other aspects of my self-care, in addition to a set amount of time for connecting with new friends and possible new clients.
(During the holidays, my priorities change with more focus on family, friends, parties and celebrations. In fact, this year, I am taking a 10-day rest stop away from my office completely in order to spend more time with family, as well as on other activities related to new goals I am beginning in 2016.)
Then, in-between each activity, I schedule 5 minutes to half-hour of quiet time to catch my breath which makes me feel much more in harmony with my world and myself. These ‘unscheduled’ amounts of time also provide space for me to respond to the unexpected aspects of life which inevitably occur.
And, when my schedule for the day is set, including a sufficient amount of rest stops, I know my life is now in harmony…like a beautiful symphony…. which is very attractive!
Thanks for taking a moment now to share
in the comment box belowhow you will choose to create harmony
in order to live an ‘Attractive’ life.