Early yesterday morning, sunlight streamed through oversized windows.  The city leisurely awoke five stories below.  Supple leather swaddled me.  The gleaming conference table threw back reflections of a bright blue sky.  Talk turned to re-balancing.  And the day’s first epiphany arrived:  I need to regularly re-balance my life.

Thoughts veered from the organization’s financial portfolio to my life portfolio.  Ratios and quality of stocks and fixed income vehicles were momentarily replaced by ratios and quality of family relationships, fun, health, spiritual growth, romance, money, home, and career.   

I thought of the life balance wheel below.  Nearly a year ago, this wheel was assigned homework in a 10-month leadership program.  Vividly recall hastily circling numbers, tucking the crumpled paper in my bag, throwing kisses to husband + monkeys, then rushing to the session day. 

 

In theory, the ideal wheel is, well, round.  My paper looked like a circular shape attempted during severe turbulence, with peanuts flying and baggage bumping.  It was painfully, now visually, evident my life was out of balance.  This little ol’ wheel offered a wake-up call of sorts, and changes were in order.

Fast forward a year.  Some of the lower-number items have improved.  But, and gosh darn if there isn’t always a but when trying to figure it all out, these changes had consequences.  Happier money score meant more work hours which meant a decline in satisfaction with available friend/family time.

I still don’t have all of the answers.  But, and this is a good but, yesterday morning’s epiphany showed set it and forget it just won’t cut it.  One-time corrections won’t keep me on course.  Regular re-balancing is essential. 

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