People talk about the importance of finding balance in their complicated and unpredictable lives but some argue that balance is in fact over rated, and that in order to achieve happiness, it's better to shake things up."Balance is bogus," says James Ray, President and CEO of James Ray International, a multimillion dollar corporation dedicated to teaching individuals to create wealth in all areas of their lives (www.jamesray.com).
"Look at a scale in perfect balance: nothing is happening... it's stagnant... there's no movement... there's no progress... in fact, there's no life at all."Harmony is where it's at. Only when all areas of one's life are in accord can true wealth be obtained, adds Ray. Trying to achieve balance is unrealistic and sets you up for failure, adds Alicia M. Rodriguez, a Leadership Coach and founder of Sophia Associates."This is because balance is a duality that creates an 'either/or' dynamic." For example, you can go to work and forge a career, or you can become a stay-at-home-mom. The myth of balance imposes unrealistic expectations. You are limited by whether you are in balance (good) or out of balance (bad).
Harmony, on the other hand, is like a jazz band, suggesting a combination of sounds from voices or musical instruments. It's a diverse synergistic experience that allows flexibility, expansion and contraction, says Ray.Think of Mother Earth; harmony is created even out of chaos. Nature's harmony takes into account the "whole" system, not merely one or two aspects. Harmony allows for more choices and empowers us with a greater capacity to ease elegantly through the challenges of life.
Ways to Achieve Harmonic Wealth:
Check in With Yourself
Check in With Yourself
Harmony is impossible if you are living a life full of regrets or if you are a workaholic who lacks love and intimacy. You need to 'water' your life along with your friends and family. As Dr. Janet Maccaro, an expert in women's health and nutrition reminds us, your biography becomes your biology.
Step away from your life a bit and begin to think of the how the many aspects of your life are inter-related. Feel confident that you can adjust fluidly to challenges.
Step away from your life a bit and begin to think of the how the many aspects of your life are inter-related. Feel confident that you can adjust fluidly to challenges.
Adapt without guilt or judgment.
Harmony will enable you to feel that you have more choices available to you and that no one area of your life needs to take the brunt of the additional strain of life's unexpected challenges.
"Stop, look, and listen to your inner voice.
"Stop, look, and listen to your inner voice.
Understand that life is a journey of self discovery that can only be experienced when you take the time to rise and meet the challenge of finding out what makes you tick and what has been making you sick," says Maccaro.
Five Pillars
Think of life's key areas: Financial, relational, mental (intellect and emotions), physical and spiritual. These pillars however will never be equally strong all the time (read: balanced). And that's a great thing. If they were, life would be unchanging and--yawn--incredibly boring.
To create what Ray calls 'harmonic wealth,' start by realizing that "all five areas must have some attention all the time - not that all areas demand all your attention all the time."
To do this, ask probing questions to get a sense of where you stand and where chaos may be brewing. Recognize where surpluses and deficits exist and then shift your energy as needed. Forget the notion of not being 'good enough.' Being a complete human being requires unpredictability. That's what makes us grow. "It's like playing jazz, which has less to do with creating planned melodies and more with improvising interesting nuances," says Ray. "Variation makes a composition exciting and the same is true with life."
To create what Ray calls 'harmonic wealth,' start by realizing that "all five areas must have some attention all the time - not that all areas demand all your attention all the time."
To do this, ask probing questions to get a sense of where you stand and where chaos may be brewing. Recognize where surpluses and deficits exist and then shift your energy as needed. Forget the notion of not being 'good enough.' Being a complete human being requires unpredictability. That's what makes us grow. "It's like playing jazz, which has less to do with creating planned melodies and more with improvising interesting nuances," says Ray. "Variation makes a composition exciting and the same is true with life."
If we consistently think in terms of maintaining harmony, instead of balance, we can also put in place additional reserves of energy, time, money or resources for those times when we are met with the unexpected. When the crisis or event is over, we can then adjust back as needed but we have not burdened ourselves with whether it was good or bad… it just was.
***
Have a harmonious day.
Heather
4 comments:
Can't seem to access your Bad Kitty blog so found my way to Etsy via your website. You're brave selling such major artworks online. I hope it continues to work for you as an inspiration for me to "get brave" too!
Just wanted to say hi!
Harmony vs. Balance....I try to strive for both at the same time. Since I'm a Libra, balance is crucial to my everyday life. And, since I was first a musician who graduated from a jazz school, harmony plays a major role, as well...=:)
Some very good points in your post. I like the forgetting "not being good enough" - sometimes one can feel that you just can't meet all the expectations, so that is a good reminder about rebalancing.
Thanks for a good perspective to start the day ~ G
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