Balance

Today I am reminded of the importance of balance.

I woke up and went through my morning routine, including my daily meditation practice which includes a series of affirmations. I briefly checked emails while eating my low fat high protein breakfast, excited about the first item on today’s agenda which was my weekly Think and Grow Rich Master Mind group. I love that group and I look forward to it every week. We have been meeting together for almost a year now, and I ran a separate 12 week evening group last spring, so I have been through the book five times in the past year. It’s a wonderful way to read Nathaniel Hill’s classic, as we all bring different ideas and perspectives to the discussion, which helps to solidify the concepts for all of us.

Today, however, as I made ready to go out the door, I realized that I just wasn’t feeling very well. I felt tired, run-down, slight headache, and worse, a stomach ache that had been bothering me since yesterday. Normally, when I am not feeling well, I push myself anyway. But today, I knew I needed to rest. So I chose not to go.

This disrupted my day. I missed my 11:00 meeting, and still haven’t made it to the post office. And even as I resist the idea that something is stopping me from completing my intentions for the day, I know that a higher intention is coming into play here… the intention to be well, so I can do what I need to do more effectively.

How often do we cripple ourselves by not maintaining a good balance in our lives? Do we pay attention to our physical health? to our mental state? to our emotional state? Do we have a thriving spiritual practice to keep us connected with Life? Do we LISTEN to our intuition when it prods us to slow down, take it easy, read a book, or whatever it is that we need?

For me, my body tends to be what takes a back burner when I have a lot of activity in my life, until it says, Enough! Pay Attention to ME! I knew that if I didn’t pay attention today, I could be inhibiting my effectiveness tomorrow. And so I rest. And blog. 

This has me pondering about all of the times when other things get in the way of letting us hear that wiser part of us that knows. We get caught up in the routines, habits, and “have tos” and “must dos” of the day. Yet there may be something tugging that we just keep pushing away, and in doing so, we may miss the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Take the time today to listen to your body, to your heart, to your spirit, and move a step in the directions whispered to you. Maintain that gentle balance that rewards you with a life of ease, joy, and contentment. You deserve it.