Healthy Life Balance and Boundaries

I notice more and more as I run my business, that one of the things I find challenging is finding balance. When I decide to do something, it’s an all-or-nothing thing and I find that taking care of myself, can sometimes take second place. Here’s an interesting exercise for you to do:

• Take a piece of paper and fold it into four, tear or cut the fourths into separate pieces

• Write down four people you love the most in the world, one on each piece of paper

• Now tear one up and throw it away

• Then do it with the next and the next until you have one left

• Who was the last one left? Was it you? Were you even one of the four?

If not, it is interesting to see how you value yourself! Just like when you are on a plane and they tell the parents to put the oxygen masks on themselves before they put them on their kids, the airline staff knows that when the parents have their oxygen they will be able to take proper care of their kids. So it is with you when you take care of yourself first, all those around you will be taken care of better. They may even learn that they need to step up to the plate and do a better job on their end rather than have you doing all the work. The Bible says: “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Spoiler alert, the only way to love another is to know what loving yourself looks and feels like. When you learn to love yourself unconditionally, that love emanates to all those around you.

Your Value

The value that you have for yourself will also help you to see the value others are in your life. It's true that we are a mixture of strengths and weaknesses and need others in our lives to be our strength and support when we are weak and vice versa. But we are each loved unconditionally by God and have an important purpose in life. Finding your purpose helps you to feel that your contribution is valuable and encourages you to continue to make a positive difference, even when you are going through challenging times. As we seek to grow and mature emotionally and spiritually, we should understand that the beliefs we hold about ourselves and our purpose are paramount to fulfilling our calling in this life. Spending time in the presence of your higher power and getting to know yourself through the eyes of God, which in my experience, is loving and encouraging, you will begin to discover more of your value.

Boundaries

That leads me to the other point I wanted to talk about, and that is boundaries. Where in your life are your boundaries lax or even unhealthy? Not only for taking care of yourself and your career needs but also for your relationships. Our relationships can affect our success in our life. Is there anyone in your life who is a drain on your energy? Is there anyone who is not supporting you or your career in the best way possible? These could be managers, agents, friends, and family. Are the people with whom you are surrounding yourself positive, hardworking, encouraging, loving, and holding you accountable for being the best you? Life is short and we only have so much energy. We have to create healthy boundaries if the important people in our lives are not being supportive. Don’t let anyone (especially yourself) doubt you or bring you down. Give to others, yes of course and at times we need to sacrifice. I’m not advocating that it be all about you but remember balance and if you start to get exhausted, burned out, resentful, or losing joy in your work, (these feelings are red flags to be paid attention to) check and see if you are taking care of yourself and getting your needs met. At times you may grow away from people and you will need to make changes and adjustments, sometimes letting go of those relationships that are a negative influence on you and if they don't respect your boundaries. In this way, you will be able to attract those relationships that support you in fulfilling your purpose.

I hope you will love your life, see miracles around you every day, practice gratitude, and live your life to the fullest. I encourage you to believe in yourself and to be passionate about yourself and your work. Shine your light and bring your joy to the world. An easy way to do that is by finding balance and having healthy boundaries. You're worth it!