In this article, Lucy delves into the concept of balance as a superpower for sustainable high performance.
In the midst of the school holidays, juggling my kids, working on my corporate workshop business, coaching my wonderful clients, and ramping up the sales process for my retreat in August, I am immensely grateful for the foundation of balance I have incorporated into my life. My self-care fundamentals have become a part of my life after years of practice and refinement, and it’s because of this that I can keep the balls in the air without dropping too many. I’m only human, so there are always going to be a few blah moments.
So what does balance actually mean? A person living in a balanced state will feel as though their time and attention are appropriately invested across all of life's dimensions. If you're pushing yourself to the limit in one area of your life, chances are, other areas are being neglected.
To consistently achieve peak performance in life, it's essential to invest energy across all dimensions of your life.
Back in my corporate life, I had no healthy coping mechanisms in place for the stress that came from stressful meetings and presentations, constant deadlines and toxic behavior. My nervous system was dysregulated; I was in a nearly constant state of anxiety and panic, and I was using alcohol to unwind. Getting to the gym was a chore, and I could never make a habit out of it. I was eating on the run, often unhealthy fast options, and engaging in all sorts of unhealthy behaviors such as overspending, poor sleep hygiene, letting my inner critic run amok, and other low self-worth behaviors.
I had no stable foundation to support my evolution, so it only made sense I hit rock bottom instead.
Fast forward to now. I'm grateful for that rock bottom. It got me sober and today, I am a woman of balance, routine, and structure. Thanks to self-love, goal-setting consistency, and balance, I have never been healthier, happier, or more successful in my life. I have a robust set of strategies in place to keep me feeling my best and performing my best. I created a scaled and successfully sold and online sobriety coaching business, and now I am supporting high achievers like you to get better results in all areas of their life, long term.
Because of my balanced life, I now perform at such a higher level than I used to. But you shouldn't have to hit rock bottom to be aware of the importance of balance and tools to start implementing it.
So how can you start to have a more balanced life?
Wellbeing wheel activity
During the beginning of this life transformation, I learned about the importance of maintaining balance across all 8 dimensions of wellbeing. I used the wellbeing wheel tool to allocate scores in each area and committed to maintaining balance across each area below.
I now invite you to complete this activity for yourself, to see how you can incorporate more balance across your life to increase your performance. This is not about getting 10 in each dimension - this is about incorporating more balance across all dimensions.
Physical Dimension: Taking care of your body for present and future well-being.
Intellectual Dimension: Continuously learning, embracing challenges, and sharing acquired knowledge and skills.
Intellectual Dimension: Encompassing activities promoting brain health and development through stimulating mental engagements.
Emotional Dimension: Acknowledging and managing emotions, respecting others' feelings, and nurturing a positive outlook on life.
Social Dimension: Cultivating healthy relationships, engaging in community contributions, and valuing connections with others.
Spiritual Dimension: Seeking purpose and meaning, aligning actions with personal beliefs, and exploring spirituality beyond organized religion.
Vocational Dimension: Pursuing fulfilling work aligned with personal values and talents, contributing to meaningful endeavors.
Financial Dimension: Making informed financial choices, planning for short and long-term needs, and recognizing individual financial circumstances.
Environmental Dimension: Understanding the impact of surroundings on health, adopting eco-friendly habits, and advocating for a sustainable planet.
Take 30 mins to sit down with your journal and complete the following steps:
Evaluate each segment on a scale of 1 to 10 to gauge its current status in your life, with 1 representing the least successful and 10 indicating the most successful.
Why did you assign the number that you did?
What is going well and what could do with some improvement in each area?
What dimensions would you like to score higher in and what dimensions are you scoring too high in?
Identify the areas within each segment that you aspire to enhance.
Select 1 or 2 dimensions to begin with and consider working with a coach like me to support you with the process.
In conclusion, remember that the aim of the game is to find more balance in your life. Not perfection! This is the most important fundamental when it comes to long-term sustainable high performance.
Good luck with this process and please reach out if you have any questions or if you would like to jump on a complimentary discovery call to see how I can help you.
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