Finding Balance

This year, I chose balance as my word to focus on. As the months go by, I’m discovering just how difficult that word is.

I believe my goal was to keep in balance my moderately stressful work life and home life, all while working on my writing. When I made this goal I was looking forward to a blogging class, knowing that I would be ramping up my writing. I didn’t realize just how hard it would be to find.

Its been a struggle for the past several months to keep things in perspective and balanced.

How does one find balance in life? I wonder if balance can be maintained.

I’m reminded of the serenity prayer:

To accept the things I cannot change
To change the things I can
The wisdom to know the difference.

If I were to follow this, then those things in my life that cannot be changed must be accepted. For instance, work is and will always have stress. I cannot change that, however, I can change my response to it. I can also work in such a way that I reduce the stress. That means not getting behind in my paperwork, which is a constant battle and stress. By changing this one thing I am able to keep things down to a dull roar. Its hard to work with the stacks of paperwork that come with my life hanging over my head. This is where the wisdom comes in.

The things at home that cannot be changed must be endured. I would love to say that since it is my home I am able to change what needs to be changed. After all, it is my house and I have some control over this. Except this isn’t the reality. There are things I cannot change. Now, that I’ve accepted this, the only thing that can change is me. I have to decide how to handle those things. This is what I actually have control of. I forget this sometimes. Along with this acceptance comes wisdom.

Finding balance in my writing is another conundrum. What must I accept that cannot be changed or that I have no control over? This is probably the area in my life where I have the most control. I have the control to get out of bed during the early hours of morning to meet my goal of 500 words daily. I have control over what gets written in those words. I decide which area to work, though I think there may be too many. The things I don’t have control over are people’s responses to my work. Yeah, that is a tough one. I can accept this one though, only because I must.

Finding true balance isn’t a about reaching a place and staying there. Its about the realization that balance isn’t about perfection. It is about riding the ebb and flow of life. Things are constantly moving and changing, my response to those changes is where the balance comes in.

How to you find balance in your life?