5 Daily Goals to Reap Rewards: #3, Balance

"Please accept my resignation. I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member."

-Groucho Marx

Do you ever feel you need to resign from some of your obligations, clubs, committees, organizations, etc.? Sometimes do you feel like you are being pulled in too many directions, or maybe just too far in one direction? I think we all feel that way at one time or another. It’s only a problem, if you’re feeling that way more often than not. That’s when you need to reevaluate, and try to find your balance.

I had a friend some years ago, Don Jordan, a very successful restaurateur, currently retired, who introduced me to the three legs on a stool approach to life. You may have heard this before; think of a stool with three legs. If you put too much weight on one or two of the legs, you likely will tip over. If you don’t have all three legs firmly on the ground, you will also possibly tip over. And of course, a stool cannot properly function with less than three legs. Three legs, equally on the ground create a nice balance. The three legs for Mr. Jordan and me are Faith, Family, and Business. With these three aspects in life, balanced, life is good. Life is rewarding.

Whenever I look back over my life, I can see times when things seemed to have been much too difficult and chaotic. If I’m honest, I can also see where something at that time was out of balance. Maybe I was spending too much time and energy on one of the three legs. At other times, life was easy as can be. I think those times reflected a good combination of the 3 legs. I was in harmony with my Faith, family, and business. I was in balance.

I am a big believer in the Retreat experience. I try to do at least one weekend retreat a year. I believe time spent in quiet, away from the noise of the world, helps me to evaluate and recognize what is important in my life. It’s what helps me decide what is in balance, what is out of balance, and how to make adjustments. It is essential to make time for yourself, to listen to your inner spirit, and to listen to the heartbeat of your life. Do this often, daily if possible as you start your day. Make it a daily goal to be in balance with your world. Life is a long and wonderful journey; make it rewarding with all three legs of the stool on the ground.