An alternative to “thriving”
One of my jobs is to help my clients develop a vision for their lives (and sometimes nudge them towards visions bigger than they would create on their own).
As part of that work, we frequently discuss the idea that “ok” is not what we are striving for.
I mean, “ok” is awesome. It’s amazing. In some seasons, it’s something that feels far off in the distance, a desert mirage. But also, if we’re always settling for “ok,” we may feel ourselves yearning for more.
But the question then arises: What are we shooting for instead?
For at least some people, a word like “thriving” feels like… too much. Too far off, too distant, too… impossible. Have you ever felt that way?
For folks in that position, a word like “balanced” can be much more useful + inspiring.
When we start to explore the “balance” question, many of my clients realize: oh yeah, all I do is work and spend time with my kids.
If you don’t feel as good as you’d like, I can almost guarantee you aren’t balanced in a way that you have intentionally chosen, between work, rest, kids, partner, friends, family, hobbies, spirituality, and health.
Being unbalanced can be okay — and may be a necessity — in some seasons of life. But if you do it in the long term, eventually you start to feel hallowed out from the inside.
In a 1:1 coaching engagement, the whole point is to identify the problem — like a lack of balance — and then, together, actually change the situation. (If that’s of interest to you, learn more here.)
But for this weekend, I wanted to offer you some questions to ask yourself:
1. Does “balance” resonate with you as a goal?
2. In what areas of your life do you feel out of balance? Often these are areas like creativity, connection, rest.
3. What is one thing you could do for 15-20 minutes today, to feel more balanced?
As always, I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this.
Katie
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