Have You Ever Taken on Too Much at One Time?
Is your plate of life too full and out of balance?
Have you ever taken on too many things at one time in life? I am guilty of that. My Grandmother called it, "Biting off more than you can chew." Somewhat like eating an apple in one bite. My problem is that life is so good and full of wonderful opportunities! To compound this, I am a creative person who thinks all her ideas are worthy of effort. From time to time my plate is pretty full and I struggle to accomplish all that I want to do.
What I am learning to do when my plate is overflowing.
I heard someone say, "You can have all the things you want in life, you just can't have them all at once." Lately I have needed to remind myself of that. No, the truth is, often I tell myself that. It seems to be a pattern in my life. I have realized that for me, the first step in change is being aware of my problems. God helps me see reality in my life. The second step is owning my problems. Truthfully, it's sometimes hard to own my problems because I have to take a good long look at myself. Who really wants to do that? It's much easier to look objectively at other people's lives and think I have helpful answers. Or getting off on rabbit trails that keep me away from what I need to address. It is easier to do that than what I really should be doing. Do you ever find yourself doing that? The third step is to pray for God's leading and make a plan to correct the problem or problems so that i have a good balance in life.
My life was out of balance.
I took a good look at all the important parts of my life and looked at how I was balancing them. My list included: Spirituality, Husband, Family, Friends, my Calling as a Speaker and Writer, Relaxation, Accountability, Finances. I sorted them out by picturing a child's teeter totter. The point of balance was God and on either end of the teeter totter was an important part of my life in the seat area. Now picture the teeter totter with many "Seats" in a circle around the anchor which is God. So the teeter totter almost looks like a wheel with spokes going out.
Then I took an objective assessment of the balance on the wheel of my life. I saw my life was not balanced in some areas and as a result, for several years I have been working on my life balance. I pray about this often and God has been faithful to help me. It's a work in progress but today I am much more pleased with my life's balance.
It takes time to correct life balance issues.
The changes in my life balance did not happen overnight and it took concerted effort, a mental plan of action with action steps but no timeline. I did set goals that I am working toward steadily. Accomplishing goals this way was a walk of faith and for me this plan worked. I didn't want the pressure of deadlines because some of my out of balance issues involved other people and that usually takes lots of love and time.
Being flexible and realistic.
In my rebalance I was hopeful but realistic because I can only be responsible for me and my choices. Many things I can change with a good plan and a strong follow through. Some things I can't. Other people's responses are their choices, the economy has it's ups and downs and things come up that were not expected so I found that my plans needed to remain flexible.
Looking back over the process.
The rebalancing of my life has been worth all the prayer and effort. My precious family and all the people God has and will put in my life are worth it! There is great contentment in having a balanced life. So from this vantage point I look back and sigh a happy sigh.
But this morning...
From time to time I've needed to step back and make adjustments because I have too much going on. Today is one of those days. So after prayer this morning, I stepped back and refocused my efforts to reach my goals. I made a list of my goals for today and one bite at a time, I plan to check them off. But my plan doesn't include biting off more than I can chew.
How about you? Do you ever need a life rebalance?
