All about daily routine balance
We all know that standing on one foot is balancing. Carrying all your groceries from the car to the house in one trip is balancing. Nailing the perfect tree pose in yoga is balancing.
What about balancing your daily routine, does that count?
I would say that is probably the best definition of balance. The homepage of my site spells out the dictionary definition of balance. The definition defines balance to arrange or adjust or to proportion the parts symmetrically. Which is great, but I’m sure we all know that nothing in our life is symmetrical. Even if you’re currently living a “perfect” lifestyle, it’s still not symmetrical. When I think of symmetry, I think of solving an algebra equation… you have to do the same thing to both sides, to keep it symmetrical. Thankfully, our lives are nothing like algebra (if they were I would probably be failing!).
Life would be so incredibly boring if it was perfectly symmetrical, not to mention impossible. Think about it… that would mean, I would have to spend 8 hours at work, 8 hours working out, 8 hours walking Dixie, etc. So – please don’t confuse balance with symmetry. Balance is some days working for 8 hours and working out for 30 minutes, and walking Dixie for an hour; and other days, working out for 1.5 hours and walking Dixie for 30 minutes.
Daily Routine Balance
But also being flexible with the routine. Understand that sometimes life gets in the way, and what you planned on doing before, after or during work may not happen. Be careful to not let one event or one day throw your week off. It’s easy to get thrown off by something not going according to plan. For example, maybe you thought you were going to get a full workout in after work, and something came up… have the flexibility to realize maybe tonight you won’t get a workout in tonight, but you’ll push yourself and get one in first thing in the morning instead. Balance is closely tied together with flexibility.
Having a balance with your life will have you in the best physical and mental state possible.
I was listening to a How I Built This, with Guy Raz podcast the other day on the way home from Michigan. The podcast was an interview with Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot. It was a great podcast, and I encourage you to listen to the whole thing… However, at one point he was speaking about his retirement party from when he decided to step down from Home Depot. There was a video played from his daughter, who wasn’t able to attend the party. During this video she congratulated him, and stated how growing up she never really realized how big Home Depot really was, because he was always around. He was the co-founder of Home Depot and he never missed any life events, he attended all dance recitals and school events, etc. When Guy Raz asked Arthur how this was possible – he simply stated that it was possible through… balance.
If the co-founder of Home Depot can find a healthy balance in his life, I think you can too!
Personally, I don’t want to be known as someone who spent all my time at work. Likewise, I also don’t want to be known as someone who spends all my time in the gym and preaching a healthy lifestyle. I can’t wait to help YOU find your personal balance lifestyle.
