Resource Section

Resource Section

Balance: How is your wheel rolling - By Jim Rhon

“Take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live”
                                                                        - Jim Rhon

Ok, you are 25 days into the New Year. Are you on track with your plan to change some of your unhealthy and self-defeating behaviors? Are you exercising 3 to 5 days a week? How about your eating—are you still sticking to a balanced diet and not falling prey to many of the fad diets? Are you getting enough sleep (7 to 8 quality hours nightly)? Are you staying hydrated throughout the day by sipping on life’s energy drink, 10 eight-ounce cups a day of water (and more if you exercise regularly)? How about your financial plans for the year—do you have a realistic budget that is not going to stress you out? This is one very stressful area for many people.

This brings us to the #1 cause for 70-90 percent of all illness and visits to the doctor: stress. Stress is really a perception issue—what is stressful to you may not be to someone else because it is a matter of how you interpret the information you receive from the outside world. Your interpretation is a result of your subconscious world and past patterns of thought and behavior. Quite often it is the unconscious mind that sabotages our behavior and creates roadblocks halting our attempts for positive change.

 Really, it’s all about balance. WORK & LIFE BALANCE=QUALITY LIVING. You can achieve this balance by doing a little planning and visioning on what you really want out of life. The tool below, the BALANCE WHEEL OF LIFE, is what I use to help my clients focus on areas of their life that they feel need some attention. Place a mark from 1 to 10 on each spoke of the wheel. This mark represents your score in each area. For example, your physical scale may be a 5, your emotional scale a 3, and your career an 8. With these numbers, will your wheel roll smoothly, or will it wobble?  If you find you have a wobble, this might be a good time to review how you feel you are doing and recommit to the necessary changes leading you to your ultimate goal of a quality life.

The Balance Wheel of Life is an excellent tool for planning your strategies of change in all areas of your life. As John F. Kennedy once said “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future”. It is also important to work on the areas that you have control over and not to be concerned with issues beyond your control because the uncontrollable can drive you crazy.