March Week 1 - Cultivating A Lifestyle Of Balance - Identifying Daily Non-Negotiables

January's focus was clearing out the clutter, February was dedicated to exploring the meaning of love and now as we enter the third month of 2010 the one thing I desire more of is balance. In the midst of striving to win in 2010 I've discovered that I am making positive progress in some areas while very little attention is being given to others. Life can sometimes feel like a see-saw, we often find ourselves experiencing success and acheiving goals yet the downside to our success is that often times our families, relationships, peace, health and overall well-being suffer as a result. As I was pondering whether the sacrifices I have been making for the sake of fulfilling personal goals were worth the late nights, days of fatigue, disconnectedness I often feel from family, friends, and the world, the answer was an absolute no. Yes, there are times when our time may be limited and we may not always have the freedom to spend the time with people and enjoying the activities that make life pleasurable as often as we would like, but I truly believe that with more focus given to balance, we can still live lives that are more well-rounded.

Periodically I find myself going through stages of being either extremely focused on fulfilling my life purpose, or either unable to focus on anything beyond relaxation and having fun. In the midst of living with purpose I often find myself isolated, to the point of nearly disconnecting myself from the very people who love and support me in all that I do. Or finding myself too fatigued to take the necessary steps needed in order to fulfill my goals, eventually resulting in having to devote a few days to catching up on rest, or recovering from illness created by lack or rest or stress. Then on the other hand when I become too relaxed, very little gets accomplished, and I find myself wondering where the days have gone. These experiences have taught me that too much of anything can lead to negative results, once again confirming the importance of balance.

In an effort to live a more balanced life, this week's focus will be dedicated to identifying daily non-negotiables. We must identify which tasks, and responsibilities must be adhered to daily in order to maintain lives of peace and balance. There are certain things that must be done daily in order to maintain our relationships, health, careers, finances, and the overall business of orchestrating our lives. Once these non-negotiables are identified we can then decide how the remaining time will be utilized. This may mean less time for doing the things that our hearts yearn to do 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, but in return we are actually achieving the type of balance that will sustain us and provide the support and structure needed as we pursue our purpose and passion.


Steps For Identifying Non-Negotiables


Step 1: Plan how you would like to began each day
(Meditation, Prayer, Breakfast, Music, Journaling, exerising ect)

Step 2: Identify the tasks that must be accomplished daily in
order to maintain peace and order
(arriving to work on-time, cooking, time spent with family/friends, managing finances
cleaning/organizing, time devoted to fulfilling personal goals ect.)

Step 3: Schedule time for fulfilling the identified non-negotiables.

Step 4: Determine a daily cut-off time, tasks that are not completed by this time, if possible should be scheduled for another day.

Step 5: Develop an end of day, nightly wind-down ritual.


There's a popular quote by John Lennon that says "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans," which lets us know that even in the midst of a perfect plan life happens! Yes, some days we may have to work a little later, yes, there will be days when we feel a little out of balance, but by putting our plan into practice we can reduce our lack of balance and develop routines and lifestyles that with time become more statisfying and fulfilling.