Balance

When our daughter was young and involved in gymnastics, I asked her about the balance beam. I remember she said “You have to keep your balance or you fall off or you look funny trying to stay on.” We observed that with several gymnasts this past summer during the Olympic Games. A few fell, and many contorted or waived their arms wildly to maintain their balance. Interestingly, something very similar happens in life. When we are in balance we seem to handle each difficult move with precision. If we are out of balance, we fall or at best look funny.

In my coaching and public classes, you break down your life into seven areas where you can project a goal. Those areas are:

• Career   ======================>  projected goal
• Community ====================>  projected goal
• Family =======================>  projected goal
• Financial======================>  projected goal
• Health =======================>  projected goal
• Social =======================>   projected goal
• Spiritual ======================>  projected goal

Whether or not we have a written goal in each of these areas, we are quickly moving towards something very specific. It is important to look down the line in each of these areas to determine if the goal we are heading toward is the outcome we desire. We have all been touched, in some way, by someone who had very strong career and financial goals, only to have their life come crashing down due to imbalance in the area of health or family. We can ignore several of these areas, but sooner or later they will become a dominant factor that, too often, causes significant hurt and despair.

I encourage each of you to look down the line each in of these areas. Does the picture look pleasant or unpleasant? Small adjustments in our path today can make significant changes in that picture. Take the time to hug and interact with your family, call a friend, take that brisk walk, read the Scriptures, help that neighbor, freeze your spending, listen to your coach. As you consider these each day, you will find it is much easier to increase margins in your life. Consider how you will feel when you handle each difficulty with precision and grace and then stick the dismount! Your arms are up in the air, huge smile on your face, the crowd is cheering and you hear “Well done!”