Balance vs. Harmony
Let me paint a picture: You’re in your healthy, good habit era.
You want to work out, go on daily walks, drink enough water, eat whole foods + a lot of protein, meditate daily, practice yoga often, read a lot, journal, stretch, incorporate mobility, keep up with your hobbies and the list goes on.
And that’s ON TOP of work, family and social life.
How are you supposed to achieve the perfect balance?
News flash: you can’t and you won’t.
The word balance can be harsh and rigid. It implies that things or sides must be equal. But in reality, that’s impossible.
Take the idea of work/life balance. It’s no surprise that we spend the majority of our lives working. If we spend roughly eight hours a day working and ideally eight sleeping, that leaves about eight for meals, family time, social activities, exercise, hobbies and rest.
That may seem reasonable, but you’ll never be able to give each aspect eight hours. No one will ever be able to divide their time equally. The remaining eight hours must be divided up.
When you aim for balance in every aspect, you’re setting yourself up for mental frustration.
Harmony implies that aspects flow together. You are prioritizing the things in your life that make you happy and light you up. You are MAKING time for movement, friends, hobbies, travel, reading and the like.
With this, you understand that life ebbs and flows. Some days you will be able to dedicate more time to certain things and others not so much. Spending different chunks of time on whatever you’re into currently.
When operating in harmony, listen to what you’re feeling and lean into the season you’re in. Respect yourself and your boundaries. Start to view the things that make you feel good as non-negotiables.
If you say you are going to go for a walk after work, make time for that walk. Do what you say you are going to. Especially if you know it’s something that makes you feel good.
Every day, week, month or year may look different. This means your hobbies and priorities will change as well. The best thing to do? Be flexible.
An action you can take is create what’s called a “Happy List.” Make a list of all the things that make you happy and bring you joy. These can be things like: lifting, running, baking, gardening, hiking, riding bikes, cooking, reading, fishing, etc.
You then schedule at least one of the activities or things from your list into your day – every day. Ensure you’re making time for the things that raise your energy and therefore, harmonize your life. Sprinkle in moments of joy.
This highlights a huge downfall of social media. It seems like everyone is always doing the most and “all the things.” It’s projected that everyone else but yourself has it all together with their life balanced and no bad days.
No one can do it all without eventually burning out. You can’t be “on” 100 percent of the time. Everyone must incorporate breaks, rest and fun.
The idea of this mindset is to be easier on and to speak kinder to yourself. Lose the rigidity of hustle that is today’s culture. Integrate and schedule moments of happiness, play and learning.
That’s where the harmony lies. In the ability to make time and space for the things and people you love. How can you create more harmony in your life this week?