A Positive way to lead life – ‘Balance of Life’

What’s your idea of ‘Balance of Life’? It’s an important question because the answer is different for everyone.

‘Balance of life’ has a different meaning to each individual and varies a lot in different stages of life. Perhaps it means a peaceful mind through yoga and meditation. Or probably it means work-life balance by good management. Or maybe it means family harmony by sharing and supporting. That is why finding a balance in life is so important.

In living on a day-to-day basis, individuals often feel out of balance. Pushing toward accomplishment in one area in life and addressing one subject often results in a guilt-plagued mindset and concern for other neglected areas.

On being asked about Work-life balance, spiritual Guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva (2016) said,  “There is no such thing as work and life, it is life and life. The balance has to be within you. Do not make any demarcation that there is something called work and life. There are different aspects of life, and they need to be dealt with.”

Further, he said, “The formula is to create blissful chemistry within yourself. If you think your work is important, the first thing you should do is work upon yourself, so that internally you are a stable being, no matter what the situation is external.”

Creating balance is a choice, it means that no matter what life throws at you, or what you do or don’t get done, you maintain an inner sense of peace – a calm amid chaos.

Swami Vivekanand, the great Indian Saint and Philosopher, has explained about work and life in Karma Yogi (1895) – “The calmer we are, the better for us, and the more the amount of work we can do. When we let loose our feelings, we waste so much energy, shatter our nerves, disturb our minds, and accomplish very little work. The energy which ought to have gone out as work is spent as mere feeling, which counts for nothing. It is only when the mind is very calm and collected that the whole of its energy is spent doing good work. And if you read the lives of the great workers which the world has produced, you will find that they were wonderfully calm men. Nothing, as it were, could throw them off their balance. That is why the man who becomes angry never does a great amount of work, and the man who nothing can make him angry accomplishes so much. It is the calm, forgiving, equable, well-balanced mind that does the greatest amount of work.”

Indian Spiritual Guru Dr Archika Didi (2020) explains the ‘Balance of Life’ more objectively. She says, “One must analyse our life from a wider viewpoint and decide what weightage to be given to our life’s aspects. Based on the weightage that one gives to each aspect; one would have the whole report of life in general. The main aim of our life is to seek a balance among these aspects and to maintain a rhythmic flow among them. Once the perfect rhythm is maintained, we are on the path of bliss from all angles. But first, we need to understand the implications of each and every life aspect.”

In Ancient Chinese philosophy, the life-force energy “Qi” is the underlying energy that gives life to all physical things. The physical world is one of “Qi” vibration, alternating between yin and yang energies, producing all physical things. Yin/Yang: Two halves that mutually form the wholeness of Qi. When life-force energy is appropriately balanced between Yin and Yang, it flows smoothly maintaining and promoting a good state of physical and emotional health. Unfortunately, today’s life’s stress tends to affect negatively the flow of Qi, and therefore damages our state of health and well-being.

The need for ‘Balance of Life’

A carriage with four horses may rush down a hill unrestrained, or the coachman may curb the horses. Which is the greater manifestation of power, to let them go or to hold them? (Swami Vivekanand)

One must find a way to balance work, life and oneself.

No matter how much we plan, things will never go our way. Unexpected events always show up uninvited. A new meeting is added at the last minute to the busy schedule. The project goes into crisis. Balance requires being flexible-  we adapt to the moment rather than rigidly stick to our expectations.

An unbalanced life feels like a constant battle. You are trying to protect your ‘me-time’ against everyone else’s priorities. You want to prevent your work from stealing your family time away. You wish you wouldn’t get distracted by the speed and uncertainty of modern life. When the world around you is out of balance, you feel imbalanced too. External forces and events distract your focus -  they create a battle between what you want and what you have to do.

Balance is less about how we allocate our time, but about enjoying what we are doing in the here and now. What’s the point of taking a day off if you are worried about what’s going on at work? To overcome feeling out of balance, your mind must be where your body is. When you enjoy what you are doing, you stop feeling guilty or blaming others for what you are not doing. The balance lies within yourself - it’s your ability to remain in the middle of whatever is happening.

While we plan our careers and important moves in life, we do not realise the fact that life takes back a lot in return for all the good things it gives us.
With our daily routines and hectic work schedules, we lose a little bit of ourselves every day. However, it is our family, friends and our inner self that help us to start afresh every new day. Here’s why maintaining a balance in life is of utmost importance.

Balance comes in physical forms, emotional forms, and spiritual forms.

‘Balance of Life’ is a positive way of living life. If one can strike a balance between all the significant facets of life, one would have the courage to go ahead and chase bigger goals. It not just helps you professionally but also to maintain healthy personal relationships. Balance sets the ball rolling for a brighter future. By maintaining a healthy balance, you secure your future. Your improved mental health helps you aim for higher levels in life and chase big dreams like a big house, a luxury car, family vacations and improved quality of living.

When one is living a balanced life, one is living with peace and harmony every day.

Various aspects of Life – ‘Balance of Life’

The important aspects of life are namely, Money, Career, Spiritual Growth, Health, Fun, Personal Growth, Family, and Social Involvement. These aspects are almost common with each individual. The lives of almost everyone revolve around these aspects. There can be small variations between certain individuals about these aspects but more or less, they remain the same and impact our lives.

Highly successful people measure themselves on seven key elements, they are – Health, Family, Social, Financial, Business, Civic and Spiritual. They try to maintain a balance between these elements to live a healthy and fulfilling life. 

These aspects can be divided into – Internal balance – which consists of balance within oneself (Mental, Physical and Spiritual), and External balance – which includes balance with others and the environment we live in. ( Work, Social Life, Family & Friends)

Swami Vivekanand explained it very well – “Would to God that all men were so constituted that in their minds all these elements of philosophy, mysticism, emotion and work were equally present in full! That is the ideal, my ideal of a perfect man. Everyone who has only one or two of these elements of character, I consider “one-sided”; and this world is almost full of such “one-sided” men, with knowledge of that one road only in which they move; and anything else is dangerous and horrible to them. To become harmoniously balanced in all these four directions is my ideal of religion. And this religion is attained by Yoga.”

How one can decide which aspects matter most to oneself?

Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. Being balanced means creating a life where these aspects don’t collide with each other but are integrated. In general, it means being able to handle the various elements in your life without feeling that you are being pulled too hard in one direction; balanced people tend to feel calmer, grounded, happier, relaxed, more open-minded and motivated. They spend their energy and effort on every aspect of their life and don’t feel the need to compromise one aspect of their life (health, wealth, personal relationships) for another one.

Does Balance mean giving equal weightage to every aspect?

Strolling across his animated kingdom—Mufasa explains to his young son Simba: “Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance.” (Disney movie The Lion King, 1994)

‘Balance of Life’ idea is not to give equal weightage to every aspect of life all the time rather it is about prioritizing, ensuring there is no conflict between these aspects.

Swami Vivekanand, explains equality, “We know from science that it is impossible. Disturb a sheet of water, and there you find every particle of the water trying to become calm again, one rushing against the other, and in the same way, all the phenomena which we call the universe — all things therein — are struggling to get back to the state of perfect balance. Absolute equality, that which means a perfect balance of all the struggling forces in all the planes, can never be in this world.”

For achieving ‘Balance in Life’ it is important, to stop creating separate compartments of work, personal time, and social time. Let go of the control, it should come naturally as your breath. Balance is not something external; it lies within you. When something is bothering you, ask yourself why. Prioritize and Reflect, track how you spend your time -  identify the tensions and think about how to make the necessary adjustments. Acknowledging all the positive things that occurred throughout your day, will make you feel grateful rather than stressed out.

Rakhi Sunil Kumar

Note-

This is in series to my research paper A study of Nextgen ‘Balance of Life’ Workplace in Indian Organizations is published by International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications. Research paper can be downloaded http://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-1021.php?rp=P11811719

Photo by Nikhil k: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fit-man-balancing-on-arms-in-mountains-under-cloudy-sky-4248988/