Live Simple To Create Balance In Your Life
This post is part of the Life Balance Group Writing Project that is being hosted by Stacey at Create a Balance.
Balance is an essential component of happiness. When all aspects of your life are in harmony, it puts your mind, body, and spirit on an equal level. The definition of balance will be completely different from person to person. It is up to you to find the balance that is right for you. However, living simple will always help you create balance in your life.
Many of us have lives that are like a person attempting to walk a tight rope for the first time. We buckle. We wobble. We try to stay on by flailing our arms. But eventually, no matter how hard we try, we fall off the edge.
Some of us will give up. Some of us will get back on the tight rope and try again. Some of us will find a whole new way to balance. Those of us who find a new way to balance our like people riding bicycles. The balance is tricky at first, but once you get some speed and gain momentum, it is completely natural to stay in balance. Living a simple life is like riding that bicycle. It does not guarantee that we won’t ever fall off, but it greatly increases our chances of staying in balance.
Finding balance in your life can be a difficult thing. It most certainly will not happen overnight. There will be many hours of contemplation, reflection, imagination, frustration, and inspiration involved in the process. And even if you do find balance in your life, that balance may morph and change as your life changes. Things that are important to you now may mean nothing to you five years from now. Achieving balance in your life will be an ever changing experience.
Complications in your life make finding balance a much more difficult task. That is why I suggest living a simple life to help you create balance in your life. The less things you have to deal with in life, the better. Balancing five stones on top of each other is much easier than balancing thirty stones. The more we can focus on individual aspects of our lives, the better. When we spread ourselves too thin, our balance is bound to be thrown off.
Ways To Create Balance By Living Simple
- Forget multi-tasking, single-task instead – By putting your full focus and energy on one specific task at a time, your best work is achieved. Put quality before quantity. Always strive for excellence in all that you do. Do few things, but do them well.
- Spend more time with friends and family – Never forget your loved ones. They are the ones that will catch you when you are about to fall. They are the ones who will guide you when you are lost. They are the ones that will support you when you are feeling weak. Cherish them and provide the same support for them. Always let the people who are important in your life know how much they mean to you. It can never be said too much.
- Eat healthy – In the words of Count Rugen from The Princess Bride: “If you haven’t got your health, then you haven’t got anything.” Implementing a simple, healthy diet into your life will not only make you feel better and more balanced, but it will also be cheaper. Eating fast food or prepackaged food not only costs more, but has less nutritional value. Don’t forget to enjoy and savor what you eat.
- Exercise regularly – The quote above can be applied to this one as well. Exercise is needed to balance out the time that you are inactive. Combine this with a healthy diet and your body will be balanced physically.
- Spend less than what you make – This simple principle is easy to understand, but can be difficult to live by. If you are in mounds of debt, that is obviously going to disrupt the balance in your life. By spending less than what you make, you can slowly get out of debt and stay out of debt.
- Integrate your passions with your career – Having a job that you are passionate is so important in achieving balance. A good chunk of everyone’s life will be spent at work. If there is no meaning or passion behind your job, it will have a negative affect on you. Following your passion in your career might not yield you as much money, but it will bring you much more happiness and balance. The benefit of living a simple life is that you don’t need that much money to sustain yourself anyway, so money should not be a problem.
- Rid yourself of material possessions – Having too much stuff can make you feel trapped or weighed down. Give away or sell the things that you never use anymore. When you go shopping, ask yourself: “Do I really need this?”
- Write in a journal or blog – If you are anything like me, then you have ideas and thoughts swirling throughout your brain all day. I forget things and lose track of things so easily. Writing your thoughts and ideas down helps you remember them and make sense out of them. It helps you see the big picture in your life. It can provide insight as to what areas of your life need work and what areas are going smoothly.
- Learn from others – Observe your friends and family. Which ones are successful, happy, and seem to live a quality life? What is differentiates their lives from yours? What habits do they have? Don’t be afraid to talk to them and ask them questions about how they live their life. Finding balance should never have to be a lonely task.
There are many other ways to bring balance to your life by living simple. What are some ways that living simple has increased balance in your life? What is your definition of balance? Let us know in the comments section.
Photo By star5112
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Hi Jack,
Thank you for the link-love.
I dislike multitasking too ….although that has become really hard to resist with having kids ….but I am so much happier when I single-task! But I have to constantly keep telling myself that!
Mayas last blog post..Born Into Poverty : Blog Action Day 2008
Jack, you’ve done a great job of tying together simple living with life balance. They all ring true. And they ring true because I’ve seen many of these from both sides. And when I’m on the positive side, my life really is much more balanced.
And thanks for including me in this great list of sources you’ve referenced here – great people, all of them – including you!
Lances last blog post..Life Balance: A Very Personal Pyramid
I went to meet some friends today and this topic was very much in the air. I guess great minds think alike!
Julias last blog post..Doodle Therapy
What a great list you have here–I’m always looking for ways to create (and maintain) that balance in my life!
Christys last blog post..The Gift of Music
Yeah! Thank you for participating in the Life Balance Group Writing Project. I just realized I didn’t comment on this wonderful post yet. I agree that the “definition of balance will be completely different from person to person” and that “living simple will always help you create balance in your life”. The more I read about simplicity, the more I recognize the strong link between life balance and simplicity.
Stacey / Create a Balances last blog post..How Do You Practice the Art of Life Balance?
Thank you for the wonderful comments you guys! This was a fun one to write. I am glad that so many people got together and posted for this project.
A great article that was a pleasure to read.
I feel that a lot of us would have trouble getting rid of material possessions. It seems that when we try to do this, a lot of our material possessions actually have other ‘value’ attached to them; like a favorite coat or a gift that your grandmother gave you…
But in doing this we then realize that it is the sentiment that is more important than the material.
Dees last blog post..10 Reasons You Might Want to Downshift
@ Dee – That is so true. There are many emotions and memories behind certain items that make them hard to give up. I could never let go of my old love letters from my days in school. They are priceless. Also, photos. Not all material possessions drain you and bring you down. In my opinion, the photos and the notes don’t bring me down at all. I am not constantly thinking about them and tending them. I just pull them out when I feel like taking a trip down memory lane and feeling those old feelings.
Thanks for your comment!
- Jack Rugile
Simple Sapien
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Hi Jack,
Great post! First time here!
Congradulations! Like your style!
@ Diane – Thank you! Glad you found your way to my blog
Hope you enjoy the posts to come.
- Jack Rugile
Simple Sapien
Hi Jack,
Thanks for submitting this post to the carnival. I am interested in doing group writing projects so you should let me know the next time you do one.
Or maybe we should start our own…
Jeremy
Jeremy Days last blog post..Why Good Design Matters
Hey Jack,
Living simple is a great way to create some balance in our lives. We hear a lot about multi-tasking, and yet – you bring up an excellent point about single tasking. And how, when we do this, we can really focus on that one thing. There is much wisdom in that – sometimes we get too focused on doing many things at once – and we don’t do any of them great. It is all mediocre, at best. Powerful way of looking at this Jack. Great article for Stacey’s project – it fits well!
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Truer words. Good, practical advice that we all should be following.
SimplyFortiess last blog post..Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb with Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes
Worthwhile information and smart structure you obtained information! I significantly to thank you for sharing your thoughts and time into the facts you submit!! Thumbs up!
Great advice Jack! Although it’s easier said than done – I’ll keep trying to live the simple way as it’s the only way to be truly happy.