“Work-life balance was a mistake from the start. Because we don’t really want balance. We want satisfaction.”—Matthew Kelly, author
Finding balance is a sticky subject for a lot of people. We have careers, partners, children, family commitments, charity work, classes, hobbies, worship time—plus, big desires to improve our health and wellness.
So where do all your important weight loss goals fall in the grand scheme of things? How is it possible to find balance with so many things on your plate?
I’m going to let you in on a little secret here: You can’t. Finding balance is a waste of time.
Balance. Is It A Myth?
“Harmony” is an easier goal than balance.
Harmony means everything is co-existing in a spirit of cooperation. But whatever you want to call it —harmony, balance, or “fitting it all in”— there is a secret to doing more of what you want and less of what you don’t want.
Want to hear it?
I just need to warn you that although the equation sounds simple, following through actually takes some major determination.
It also requires that you get crystal clear on what you want your life to look like, and what you do not want in your life.
Ready? Okay, here’s the secret:
- First ask yourself what isn’t serving you. What doesn’t need to be in your life? What is dragging you down? Keeping you awake at night?
- If weight loss is important for you in this season of your life, and you have identified a few things that are holding you back, it’s time to get rid them. (Or fix them. Now.)
- Next, ask yourself what you want in your life—or in this week or day? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do?
- Who do you want to be with and how does being around certain people make you feel? Focus your energy on these things. Anything that doesn’t fit into this larger scheme… let it go, create some boundaries, (or learn how to say “no”).
Time for a little tough love.
There shouldn’t be anything more important than you being the healthiest version of yourself that you can be. Physically, and emotionally.
Most of us have people in our lives that want to see us thrive, but they won’t decide our priorities for us. Why? Because our loved ones want to see us happy. They want us to feel good.
In this context, finding balance is last on everyone’s list.
I found that when I reached for comfort foods after a stressful situation when I could have made better choices, no one told me I should choose healthier foods.
This is a fact: If you aren’t going to make your health and happiness a priority, no one else will.
Why? Because it’s no one else’s job to make YOU a priority. It’s yours.
I get it. Finding balance or creating haromony is difficult when your life is crazy busy. It’s even harder when you’ve made a habit of choosing low quality foods over higher quality foods.
You pour a glass of wine when you’ve had a stressful day at work. Or, you say yes to other’s requests when you should be saying no because you need time for yourself.
Habits can be changed.
It starts with a decision. If your weight loss important to you, you’ll make it a priority. If taking the time to prepare a healthy meal to enjoy with your family is important to you, you’ll make it a priority.
Just like showering and brushing your teeth are priorities, you’ll make room for what changing your habits will mean for your day to day routines. You wouldn’t dream of not choosing to do certain things for yourself everyday.
These examples are very basic, but if you think about it, you make lots of things a priority.
Just remember, don’t put what’s important for you to be your best self last on the list of all your to do’s.
In Conclusion
Set yourself up for success. Don’t stress yourself out trying to “balance” everything. Decide what’s important and trim away the rest.
Ready to dive in and make a few changes? Give these tips a try and see how much more harmonious your life can be. Finding balance is not required.
How will you find harmony with fitting your weight loss goals into your busy schedule? I want to hear from you in the comments!
