Balance Your Life One Season at a Time

A life’s journey is made up of seasons. Some seasons are busier than others, but regardless of how busy your life is, you need balance throughout your journey. So, how do you balance your life one season at a time?

If we compare the seasons in our lives to the four seasons, we could say it this way:

• Spring: Young, full of energy, growing, learning, traveling, forming life-long friendships.
• Summer: Still young, single or married, having children or not, growing careers, learning, traveling, nurturing relationships.
• Fall: Kind of young, single or married, watching children grow, careers peek, enjoying grandchildren, learning, traveling, nurturing relationships.
• Winter: Young at heart, single or married, retiring or still working, enjoying grandchildren, hopefully still traveling and learning, nurturing relationships and saying goodbye to some whose journeys ended before yours.

But regardless of the season you find yourself in right now, below are some tips to help you stay in balance throughout your journey:

Establishing your priorities is critical to balance your life one season at a time. As you have the opportunity to get involved in new things, and before you say yes to new commitments, ask yourself the question:

• Does this new activity, task, or commitment fall under my priorities in life? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself another question:
• What can I take out of my life in order to add one more thing? If the answer is “nothing,” don’t commit as this new activity may through you out of balance. From one day to the next, you may feel overwhelmed—especially if you have children and their activities fill up your schedule. This is the hardest season to maintain balance.

Learn to say “no” and be okay with that. You have the right to decline and not feel guilty about it. It is okay to stick to your priorities in life.

Make time to exercise. At the minimum, walk. Walking is one of the best exercises there is, and it doesn’t cost any money — only time. I love to walk with my husband. I’m spending time with him and I’m getting my exercise done at the same time. Make a goal to exercise at least three times per week doing something you like. If you don’t make the time and schedule it, it won’t happen. You have to take care of your body so it lasts and so you can accomplish all you need to get done in your life, not just daily tasks but your dreams in life.

Don’t forget your friendships. Make time to call or go to lunch with a friend at least once a week. It is refreshing to go out with a friend and just talk and catch up with each other’s lives. If you don’t nurture your relationships, they will eventually go away.

I hope these ideas will inspire you to balance your life one season at a time.