You may at this stage be reaching saturation point on advice for shaping your 2018.
With that in mind, this is not a 30-day programme. It’s not twelve sequential steps, combined with an algebraic formula to achieve a year of eternal happiness (with hindsight, Inspo’s post last week fell a little into this category, apologies).
This post simply reinforces the three most effective principles for maintaining a sense of balance in your life.
- Let exercise drive you and not you be driven by a need to exercise:
Exercise is phenomenal for a healthy heart, body and mind. It’s the cornerstone of maintaining balance. The critical ingredient is being proactive with it. Don’t wait until Wednesday evening to react to a cry from your body and mind for exercise. Get it in the diary on Sunday evening for the week ahead. Know the amount that you need for a balanced week. And lock it away in your schedule. You’ll sleep well on Sunday evenings with this done.
- Know the ‘causes’ and create ‘counters’:
Reflect on past times when your sense of balance was out of kilter. What was it that caused you to lose that sense of balance?
The key is to know the ’causes’ that upset your equilibrium and create ‘counters’ for them.
For example, busy periods in work are often cited as a number one cause. Busy periods are a reality. But they can be countered. Firstly, by being extra committed to your exercise routine. And secondly, by booking time off at the projected end of the busy period. To be there for you as a ‘reward-in-waiting’. Create ‘counters’ for each ‘cause’ you identify. The ‘counters’ limit the impact of the ‘cause’. And ring fence your sense of balance.
- Time with friends, family and loved-ones is golden:
How often do you say to yourself, after spending time with your best pals, your brother/sister or your significant other, ‘it was so great to spend time with them!’? You say it nearly all the time because they allow you to be you. They care about you. You laugh with them like few others. And they make you feel loved.
If you could bottle those feelings into a tonic, you’d be a multi-millionaire through it’s sales. You’d be renowned for enabling your global customer base maintain balance in their lives. You can’t bottle it unfortunately. However, you can experience these revitalising feelings by meeting these guys regularly. Overcome all obstacles to make these meet-ups happen.
These are simple principles. You knew them before reading them. But like an old friend, it’s great to see them again.
Your challenge is to live by these principles. Starting this week!
Inspo’s song for the week: Echoes in Rain by Enya
If this topic is something you would like to work on in 2018 and would like to have a chat about getting started, please contact john@inspo.ie.