The buzz word of balance is frequently popping up on my newsfeed: “Find balance. You need more balance. Here’s the trick to being balanced.”  I want to have a balanced life and schedule, but it feels impossible.

Is balance even obtainable?

When I think of balance, I picture a scale that we used in high school science class. The one with two platform scales and you place small particles on each side of the scale to compare weights. I remember that putting the small items on and off to get the two sides to level out exactly felt tedious, and sometimes impossible.

This science class scale is not the metaphor we need for describing balance in our lives. Perfect, exact and, level? No thanks!

I am choosing to use a different metaphor and visual. I’m picturing realistic life balance as the type of scale that has one platform and is balanced based on how we move the stabilizing weight that is on the opposite side. We can adjust the weight to level out the scale, and it’s our choice as to what balance looks like…and feels like. We can each choose our own desired weight, and there are no rules to obtain the balance that fits best in our lives.

We are the ones controlling the weight to create our own balance.

I love how Certified Strengths Coach, Isogo, puts it as, “our pursuit of balance has more to do with our daily rhythm than it does the balancing act of completing priorities.” Bingo!

It’s not about how much we check off the list, but how we define a life of rhythm.

Let’s start shifting your perception of balance today. Starting right now, you can have renewed balance if you choose to adjust and define the weight on the scale.

Start with one or two of these insights:

define your rhythm
brainstorm what “balanced enough” looks like for your family and start to work towards finding that rhythm. Isogo has a great free balance checklist and mini-series to help jump start this process.

start small
big picture planning is great, but we need to find a rhythm one day at a time.

plan for balance
be intentional about planning the night before in order to be proactive for your schedule and tasks for the day ahead.

prepare for change
days don’t always go as planned, so be ready to flex as needed and build margins into your day so things don’t totally fall apart when plans change.

find mental balance first
start your day with a few minutes of silence and time to be centered in your mind. From my experience we tend to focus on the physical balance and never analyze the mental balance. Don’t let the physical activity dictate the mental balance — swap that mindset around.

Commit to mental balance first, and the rest will follow.

Aim for rhythm in your days rather than perfect balance. Remember that you are in control of the weighted scale. And when you get off track, shake it off and reboot.

Life can be enjoyed more fully when you are enjoying the journey!