Achieving Life Balance

Useful daily hints and tips to becoming a better you!

Health and Life Balance. What does this mean exactly? Well it would mean different things to different people but I would say that however we define this, we are relaxed, contented and satisfied when we have achieved this balance. I feel that there has been a paradigm shift in the importance our society places on attaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Even more so in recent years due to significant global changes which have made us question what is really important in our lives. I previously struggled greatly with prioritizing my health and wellbeing, instead being focused on proving my worth at work, suffering in silence and not setting boundaries. It was a dangerous downward spiral and certainly not a sustainable way of living.

I’m not sure whether it has been due to life experience with each year that passes or the changes going on in the world – most likely a combination of these – but nowadays I am much more assertive at setting boundaries and knowing what I need at a given time. Now don’t get me wrong, this didn’t happen overnight. I had to consciously evaluate what was not working in my life and ask myself what was stopping me from making the changes I needed to be free. What was it that was keeping me in this stuck state? What was this getting me? What else could I do? How did I envisage my ideal future? What if it was possible to achieve this? All of these questions and more ran through my mind. This was all before I discovered the world of Coaching.

It was fortuitous that I one day found myself taking part in a Women in Leadership programme at work. Through this, I met other women aspiring to be leaders in the organization. Hearing their experiences as well as having the best facilitators was empowering and it so happened that one facilitator was a Coach and Trainer. Having conversations with her, I realized that by asking myself those deep questions, I was effectively coaching myself! The empowerment I felt with this peer group combined with other in-house training I undertook in areas such as leadership, negotiation and assertiveness helped me to take the first steps towards prioritizing my health and wellbeing without compromising my quality of work. In fact, my performance improved because I was physically and mentally healthier.

The biggest revelation for me was that it was my state of mind that needed to change. By changing this, I could then influence my behaviour and the results would follow. It was not all smooth sailing of course but I realized that if I wanted something to change then I needed a strategy and the right frame of mind. I learned more about coaching and knew then that I had found my calling. The principles embedded in coaching resonated with me and I knew I wanted to help others in this way. Now I am busier than I was before but am calmer and more contented as I know I am much more balanced mentally and physically. So I say, don’t be afraid to take that step and sign up to that self-development course or have that conversation because you never know how it may change your life.