What do you need to find balance in your life? Not the outside, but balance on the inside. Perhaps areas such as health, relationships, career, personal growth or spirituality? We will all have values within those areas, those which link to our beliefs, behaviours and decisions which are important and motivate us.
Values are what we move away from or toward. When we have a task that we don’t want to do, it’s interesting that we expend time and energy in doing something, anything else than that particular task! Perhaps doing exercise, listening to voicemail, changing utility companies and dealing with insurance are good examples. Ask yourself, what are you really wanting to move away from? A more rational view might be that exercise will make you feel better, listening to a voicemail may give you valuable information or changing utility company may save you money and for insurance, peace of mind.
A toward is something that motivates us positively, that we want to do. Reward, earning money, spending money, helping others, caring, recognition, gaining self worth are all examples. These are what we are willing to devote our time and energy into and can link to our goals.
So, all we have is our time and energy to invest and we must manage our investment wisely to ensure balance.
Here are 3 simple actions to help us manage our time and energy to feel better about ourselves, everyday:
- Ask yourself – How do I want to be today? Then focus on the pictures, sounds, feelings and thoughts which link.
- Notice the positives – at the end of every day acknowledge and recognise the successes – powerful if journalled.
- Keep grounded. Get any ‘what if’s’, out of the head, written on paper with contingencies and stored.