BALANCE
As human beings, we want to create balance in our lives. We aim to balance work and our personal life, our physical and mental health, and even our relationships. But have you ever stopped to think about why balance is so important? How does it create opportunities? This project was all about balanced opportunities, and in this blog we will explore the ideas of the following books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and Positive Brain Training, to answer our driving question for this project, “How does balance within my life create opportunities?” We will use multiple links (listed in the bottom of the post) and our PKM’s (Personal Knowledge Management) to help answer our driving question.
The 7 Habits:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People talks about the importance of developing a balanced life. Covey argues that in order to achieve true success, we need to balance all areas of our life, including our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. He writes, “To be effective, you need to develop a balanced life, spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially.” By achieving balance in these areas, we become more self-aware and can make better decisions in all aspects of our lives.
Atomic Habits:
Atomic Habits also talks about the importance of balance. Atomic Habits was the most recent book we read, it argues that in order to create lasting change in our habits, we need to focus on small, precise improvements that create balance in our lives. He writes, “The key to achieving lasting change is to make small adjustments consistently over time. These adjustments create balance in our lives and lead to big results.” By creating balance in our habits, we can achieve our goals and function at our optimum.
Positive Brain Training:
Positive Brain Training takes a slightly different approach, focusing on the role of the brain in creating balance. Seiden argues that by training our brain to focus on positive thoughts and emotions, we can create a more balanced life. He writes, “When we focus on positive thoughts and emotions, we activate the reward centers of the brain. This leads to greater balance and well-being in all areas of our lives.” By training our brain to focus on positivity, we can create opportunities for growth and success.
Argument/Answer to the driving question:
So, how does balance within our lives create opportunities? The answer is that balance creates a solid foundation for success. When we achieve balance in all areas of our lives, we become more self-aware and can make better decisions. By focusing on small, little improvements, we create balance in our habits, which leads to lasting change. And by training our brain to focus on positivity, we create a more balanced and purpose driven life.
Balance also allows us to be more present in the moment, which creates opportunities for growth and success. When we are not distracted by imbalances in our lives, we can fully focus on the task at hand, whether it is work, personal relationships, or a hobby. This focus allows us to achieve more.
What I will do to create balance in my life:
During this project, I was going through a really hard time, not only was the balance in my life, well, unbalanced, I was also struggling with depression, and family issues, so much was coming down all at once and I felt like I was at a crossroad. I questioned, “Should I just drop out?” and “Why do I even try if nothing seems to work?” All of these things I told myself seemed to get me nowhere, and this project helped me get out of the cycle of getting down on myself. Atomic Habits is an amazing book and if you havent read it, I encourage anyone who is reading to read this book as soon as possible if you are struggling with gaining balance in your life. Now how did I create some sort balance?
What works for me is to create a schedule, and to plan everything out, this includes: Sleep schedule, work schedule, using the app Things, using Reminders, settling goals, and using calanders to mark certin events. I also follow the 7 habits very closly:
- Habit 1: Be Proactive
- Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
- Habit 3: Put First Things First
- Habit 4: Think Win-Win
- Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
- Habit 6: Synergize
- Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
I even have the 7 habits hung up in my room to remind me of the 7 habits. So what did I get out of all of this, one word, balance (kinda).I may not have perfect balance within my life, and of course I still have some things to work on, mainly staying focused, but I feel I have come far in creating balance within my life.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, balance within our lives creates opportunities by providing a solid base for success. By achieving balance in all areas of our lives, we become more self-aware, make better decisions, and create lasting change. By focusing on small, incremental improvements, we create balance in our habits, which leads to big results. And by training our brain to focus on positivity, we create a more balanced and fulfilling life. So, take the time to create balance in your life and watch as opportunities for growth and success unfold.
Sources:
Atomic Habits:
https://fourminutebooks.com/atomic-habits-summary/
Habits Of Highly Effective People:
https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/habits-of-highly-effective-people-summary
Positive Brain Training:
https://www.houstonmethodist.org/for-health-professionals/for-employees/clinical-well-being/positive-brain-training/
PKM CONNECTION TO TED TALK:
https://www.craft.do/s/CJURhuTU7frsyq
PASSWORD:
Balance