I will explain this picture and how it helps all of us live a life of balance in a moment, but first, when I started to think about what I wanted to share with you this week, I thought about success.I will explain this picture and how it helps all of us live a life of balance in a moment, but first, when I started to think about what I wanted to share with you this week, I thought about success.
There are many definitions of what success is—you obviously know that. And we want to be successful in more than one area of our lives, but the problem becomes how to pursue that.
*Trying to start a business can be very hard.
*Trying to maintain relationships can be hard.
*For me, remembering to exercise is hard.
But following our passions is easy. Wasting time is easy. Losing an hour in a mindless game is easy. Why is that?
Scientists will tell us chemicals. Coaches will tell us it is motivation. Maybe it is our priorities?
But the reason is different for each of us. It is because we have chosen to do that other thing. Maybe we chose to stay angry at someone or chose not to call the next client. Maybe we charged one too many things on our credit card and now we are hit with ridiculous finance charges. Different things in our life can make us feel startled, out of control, tangled. [I bring questions—you discover answers]
When I feel tangled up it is often hard for me to focus or concentrate. Then I fall behind and things get even worse. Then I…well, we all have our different things, my specifics aren’t relevant, but what I learned will be to you.
That brings me to this picture. I don’t remember if it was a thunderstorm or the mailman, but a few months ago my dog was looking out the window in my dining room and something got him riled. I normally part the sheers for him so he can see outside without snagging them with his claws, but this day I hadn’t opened them wide enough for him and when he tried to look closer and turn around to look at me, he started to get tangled.
This in turn upset him and he spun again. And again. Until he was wound up.
I snapped a picture that day and reflect on it often, because although I teach on Balance, and writing, and teaching, many days something will get me upset and instead of doing what I know to do [sit down and pause a moment], I start spinning around in circles until I’m completely tangled, too.
This can be because I’ve scheduled too much on my calendar and cannot possibly finish it all or I get winded on my hike because I don’t prioritize exercise. Maybe I snapped at someone I care about because I’m tired.
Instead of criticizing myself and getting tangled up even more, I need to sit down. I need to take a deep breath and refocus on what I can do in that moment, not everything that needs to be done that day.
The rest of the story of this picture is that my dog did stop finally spinning and laid down, so I could untangle him. He forgot whatever had him so excited and moved on to something else. I have never seen him get tangled in the sheers again. I guess my dog is smarter than I am in that respect. I still sometimes get tangled in my own things.
So, now it is time to find application in our lives. What is going on in your life where you need to sit down, stop trying and let someone help you? When have you needed that in the past? How do you find balance during these times?
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