Entry #10: Keeping Your Balance

So this is it. we've made it to the end. There's only one critical point left to grab on to. How do you keep that delicate balance in life so you can keep this progress and momentum, but not lose the other parts of your life? You know, those parts you actually want to keep. I'm sure you'll be unsurprised to find out it's not as easy as some people make it sound. Fortunately there are a couple key points that can help get us there.

The first is a nice dose of self respect. I know we talked about that earlier, and it's never going to stop being important. This is your life you are working on here. Yours. Not your bosses, your friends, not even your families. That's not to say you should shout them all down and throw them out of you life. You're gonna be pretty lonely if you do that. But you have to remember you have the right to do it. You can, and absolutely should stand up for yourself and your goals. You just don't have to be horrible about it.

Some of the people in your life that you want to be there aren't necessarily going to understand why you are doing this thing. That's okay. Take the time to explain it to them. They deserve to know. You have worked hard to get here and you should be proud. If they deserve to be a part of what you have built here, give them the chance to really know this new part of you. They will either take it in happily and move with you in this new part of you life, or they won't. And that will be an answer too.

On the other hand, there are bound to be other parts of your life that need to be integrated into or around this new piece. Take some time and measure how important and necessary everything is. Please note that I said necessary. We have a tendency to turn nice into must, and that causes so much trouble. Once you've got a good look at what is needed, make a schedule. I know it sounds like the most obvious advice ever, but you'd be surprised how often it gets ignored. Until something new becomes a habit, it needs to have time and space carved out for it.

Once it's a normal part of your life, you can probably let your life get back to a 'natural' flow. But there is another balancing act that has to be tackled as well. The old you and the new one. It doesn't matter what the changes are, change is stressful. You are most likely going to have some, or a lot of internal conflict around your new way. Our brains are hard wired to keep things easy and to keep us safe. So it's not just your time that you need to get adjusted to the change. You are going to have a very serious conversation with yourself.

Now, you've probably been having this little chat for a while. It's that voice that popped up saying "this is hard" or stupid or pointless or whatever it came up with to try to stay in it's comfort zone. And you're going to keep having that conversation for a while longer. At least until all of you admits that this is better, or at least familiar. You're going to need that same self respect you had with other people. You're also going to need a pretty hefty dose of compassion as well. You're not weak or stupid for wanting things to stay the same. You're human. 

I really hope this trip has been helpful to anyone that has come along with me. I truly wish you all the best and success in everything you do. You've got this.