Balance is a Slippery Slope
Lately, I've been blessed to have a lot of quality time with some of my long-distance best friends. There is truly nothing more refreshing than spending time with people who know you well enough to let you be you, in all your awkward and semi-unwashed-hair glory. That kind of community makes it easy to let your mind breathe and your soul find a little bit of balance in the midst of your daily rush. Balance is a word that I've always been afraid of because I'm honestly not good at it. I think I have a fair amount of strengths, but I also know my tendency to run hard once I've set my mind to something. The problem is, I like to set my mind to too many things. I set goals and make plans, and before I know it, I can barely see the lines in my day planner because they're covered in ink and almond butter and coffee that I've spilled while scribbling. So, it's not rare for me to go far too long without doing something to let myself truly rest.
Some of you will read this and relate to the tendency to overcommit yourselves. However, others have the opposite problem. They take too much time to relax and can't seem to accomplish any goal. Those of us who tend to err on the workaholic side of things judge those who are content to "Netflix and chill" all weekend long, but in all honesty, neither of us are doing this thing right.
Balance is a slippery slope; we begin in the pursuit to even things out, but, when left unchecked, we end up sliding quickly towards one side of the equation.
Lysa TerKeurst says that every decision we make has an arrow attached to it, pointing us in one direction or another. If you feel out of balance, look at where your arrows are landing. Are they pulling you towards a life of overcommitment or underperformance? Are they evenly split amongst the things you need to accomplish and the things you need to stay sane?
If life lately has been out of whack, you don't need a new starting line to fix the problem. You don't have to wait for a new week, a new month, or a burst of inspiration. You simply make a decision to move yourself up the slope, back towards the line of balance, and away from the ground where your feet tend to slip out from under you. Wake up five minutes earlier to be on time for work, call a friend who needs to hear your voice, spend a little quality time with your favorite people. You know where you're lacking balance, so shoot some arrows in that direction this Wednesday.