Check Engine Lights Remind You to Find Balance

Check Engine Lights Remind You to Balance

Everyone has ups and downs; highs and lows; days when you’re in high gear all day, knocking out tasks right and left, and those when simply getting out of bed is a major accomplishment. Problems arise when you try forcing yourself to be something you’re not, or ignore the signs until your engine shuts down due to lack of proper maintenance. If you wait until your engine seizes up and refuses to go any further, you risk damaging what would be a well-oiled machine were it given adequate amounts of healthy food, water, exercise, recreation, and rest.

Too many are brainwashed into believing they need to work hard to get ahead. If they’re not making progress at the expected rate, they think working harder is going to solve the problem. The truth is, working harder isn’t necessarily the answer. How many people work themselves into an early grave, and all they get is frustration, and ultimately, failure to achieve what they think they’re supposed to?

Sure, successful people seem to work 90 hours a day, from the outside looking in. Certainly, there are some who do, eschewing family, recreation, and a social life. I see it in the same way many women starve themselves to stay thin, yet never believe they’re thin enough. No amount of material success is ever going to satisfy the people referred to as workaholics because they never allow themselves to reach their milestones before raising the bar. But more importantly, because they don’t allow themselves downtime to enjoy what they’ve built, nor let anyone get close enough to truly share those accomplishments, or the ease they might bring to their lives should they give themselves a minute away from working, or thinking about work.

Real Success Means Work/Life Balance

To me, truly successful people have achieved a work/life balance. They know

Photo by Preston Rhea via Flikr

when to take time off to refresh and recharge. They have friends and family to whom they give their full attention on a regular basis. Above all, they know when to disconnect from electronics.

In my opinion, Bill and Melinda Gates set amazing examples. Articles in Inc., and Style demonstrate not only their co-parenting style, but also how family time is encouraged, while discouraging what’s become a rampant dependence on electronic devices in many households.

The time you spend with others, be they friends, family, or pets, giving them your full attention rather than letting work, or other responsibilities distract you from giving them your all will always be time well spent, if you ask me. Not only are you setting an example, but you’re putting more kindness and compassion into the world, even if it seems like you’re only affection a microcosm of the whole. Every act of kindness, every moment you give to yourself and others raises the overall vibration of all Humanity.

Sure, you might see no tangible results from taking time to be with others to feed your own soul, but it means you’re spending less time feeling frantic, overworked, buried in deadlines, and stressed out. How can that not affect the overall energy of the world?

Bring Joy, Not Gloom

Imagine this. You’re in a room full of people, talking, laughing, sharing hugs and friendship. Someone walks in who’s had a particularly hard day, and wasn’t able to leave their troubles at the door before joining the party. You can almost see the tension they’re exuding; a dark, heavy cloud that stifles any gaiety or sense of ease it touches. You can almost see the path as a swathe is cut through the joy that previously filled the room to overflowing. Perhaps a gap grows between this person and everyone else. Then someone walks over, wraps the person in a warm, heartfelt hug, and you see the dark pall shrink and soften, allowing harmony to once again reign.

Every one of us is part of that happy throng enjoying each other’s company, casting aside worries and troubles, if only for a heartbeat of time. But for that heartbeat, you’re affecting the entire world because it’s one less spot where worry and strife create a dark pall that drags everything it touches away from a sense of joy, peace, and well-being. It colors the attitude of everyone in its path, making it harder to see past the troubles and worries to a place where love and joy await.

Maintaining your own energy at a higher level means you’re not adding to the dark pall. You’re not touching others with a sense of gloom and doom, but instead, you’re giving them hope. It might be a smile you give a stranger, a moment you take to stop and watch a butterfly flit by, or listen to a child’s laughter. Whether you notice or not, you affect others. Someone stops to see what you’re watching that’s made you smile, or listens for the sound that’s made you cock your head to listen. They get to share your joy.

Recognize the Warning Signs

Photo – Alexander Svensson via Flikr

I’ve cut my grocery shopping trips down to once a month lately. I also try to limit my stops. I’ve learned if I go too long without eating, it causes me to be cranky, and my patience dwindles until I’m ready to snarl at anything or anyone causing me delays. It makes what might otherwise be a pleasant trip out into the world a dreaded chore, and I’m not doing anyone who has the misfortune of coming in contact with my crabby self any favors.

Once I honed in on the problem, I learned to either start my trip shortly after a meal, or take something with me to snack on to take the edge off. Admittedly, it was easier before COVID when I could snack on a sample from Costco or Trader Joe’s, but it’s really not their responsibility to maintain my blood sugar levels. Taking care of me is my job, whether the need is food, water, or giving and receiving attention.

Just as I would do my best to leave trouble and worries at the door when I made my twice-weekly visits to my beloved Borderline, I’m learning to do the same whenever I go out into the world. When I’m feeling like I can’t let things go, I either keep to myself, or avail myself of a recently discovered option; close girlfriends who can share both the good times and bad, and best of all, be honest with each other. I don’t always see the forest for the trees, so opening up to them gives me another perspective, and most of the time, pulls me out of the pit I’ve dug myself into a calmer, happier place.

To make a long story short, you are going to find yourself in dark places it’s hard to see past, much less find a way out. Not only do you affect those around you, you have people who can shine a light and show you the way out if you let them. Wallowing in a pit of despair is a choice. Though it was one I made for years, it’s never the best one for you or anyone else. Learning to relax; learning to vent when you need to get a new perspective, or simply blow off steam; learning to balance your own life will bring balance to the world around you. Isn’t it worth the effort?

Use Gratitude to Stay in Balance

My gratitudes today are:

1. I’m grateful for friends who help me keep my life on a more even keel, and in fact, give me more joy than sadness.
2. I’m grateful for the kindness I’ve learned to bring to the world, and for those who’ve set me better, healthier examples.
3. I’m grateful for each day, whether it’s lazy, productive, or a combination of both.
4. I’m grateful for the healthy habits I’ve formed, and the space I’m making to form even more.
5. I’m grateful for abundance; love, joy, kindness, compassion, happiness, friendship, sharing, caring, opportunities, motivation, inspiration, dedication, peace, harmony, balance, health, philanthropy, and prosperity.

Namaste

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook as Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author