…So I had a conversation with a mentor of mine on some workshops we will be doing next year.  I was to do a workshop around energy and nutrition and she was going to be doing a workshop around balance.  She said to me, “You know what, I really think we should be switching.”  In all of our strategic planning conversations I talk to her about how I want to help others create time and space for self-care and balance.  And she is much more interested in nutrition than I am.  While I do learn about healthy eating, am enrolled in IIN, and have made a lot of life changes around my own healthy nutrition habits I do not want to be pigeon-holed as a coach tied down to just one topic.  And in many of our conversations, as with in many of my own writing and conversations with others, it comes up that I want to help others create balance in their lives…

…So this has got me to thinking a LOT, and I mean a lot, about this topic.  How am I an expert on balance?  What is balance?  How do we create balance?  What does it feel like to be living in healthy balance versus what does it feel like to be living out of balance?  What are some steps I might tell someone to take in order to achieve more balance in their lives?  What do I do in my own life to create a sense of balance?  Am I balanced?  Am I striving for balance in my daily life?  A lot of things are coming up for me around this term and around this idea.  And this is something that I am very passionate about and do want to help others create in their lives.  So if I want to be seen as a resource for others on creating healthy balance I must be clear with myself about my own thoughts around this topic…

…I think that each of these questions can be a separate blog post on their own.  So I plan to tackle them one by one; starting today with “What is Balance?”…

…Looking up the definition for balance provided me with a lot of variety: 

1. A weighing device, especially one consisting of a rigid beam horizontally suspended by a low-friction support at its center, with identical weighing pans hung at either end, one of which holds an unknown weight while the effective weight in the other is increased by known amounts until the beam is level and motionless.
2. A state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces.
3. The power or means to decide.
4. A stable mental or psychological state; emotional stability.
5. A harmonious or satisfying arrangement or proportion of parts or elements, as in a design. See Synonyms at proportion.
6. An influence or force tending to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.
7. The difference in magnitude between opposing forces or influences.
8. A balance wheel

…I guess these definitions all do state what balance is; depending on which situation or which context you are using the word in.  I think for purposes of health and well-being I would like to take a stab at creating how I define balance based on the definitions above for guidance:

Balance:  stable health where there is equilibrium of multiple elements; where your wheel of various parts of well-being are all relatively equal and tended to

…I envision that there are multiple aspects to our overall wellness.  I believe that healthy eating or exercise or one thing alone do not make us healthy.  You can be going to the gym 5 days a week for an hour each visit, but drinking like a fish and eating fast food for dinner every night.  This is not wellness.  This is not health.  It is my belief that there are several parts to our overall well-being and each of them has to be as close to equally tended to as possible.  Sure, at times one might be given more attention than another, but overall things must be in a relative state of equilibrium where each piece is healthy…

…I like to use the graphic of a wheel.  Putting each part to wellness as a piece of the pie, so to speak.  That way each part to well-being gets an equal proportion.  There are numerous variations of the “Balance Wheel” out there, but I believe that there are 16 important, yet equal parts to make up our whole well-being.  Each of these must be nurtured and paid attention to in order to create a healthy balance of our whole self…

What is your definition for Balance?  How do you define Balance in your own life?