Tips for Focus, Energy, and Balance in Life
‘Life is a journey, not a destination’ – Ralph Waldo Emerson. During the journey of life, some become aware of their true north and enjoy the journey while others remain unhappy, stressed, and confused no matter where their journey takes them. Are you one of the select few who can always see the bigger picture and experience fulfilment while enjoying the ride or are you someone who is just going through the flow of life with the hope things will work out?
It took me a long time to consciously be aware of the bigger picture of my life. Like most of the
middle-class citizens growing up in Bangladesh I worked hard to get through the expected stages of life such as getting into a good university, good job, career progression, married life, and so on.
Yes, I have always had a growth mindset but my thinking had always been linear.
As life progressed, I realized I need to manage taxes, insurance, kids’ education, house mortgage, health, and retirement plan and the list kept on growing. My role in life has increased as well ( Son, Student, Friend, Employee, Husband, Line Manager, Father, and so on). I left my life planning somewhat to luck. To be frank I have been lucky to have a very supportive wife, a fantastic job, career progression, and great line managers which somehow covered up the lack of my overall life planning.
I was not sure what exactly would make me content and where I was heading overall in life. Then I was lucky enough to get exposure to some fantastic tools and reading materials which have made me more grounded, balanced, and content while still maintaining the growth mindset. I have also been fortunate enough to receive fantastic coaching and mentoring from my line managers at my organization and also from external coaches.
The journey of discovery still continues albeit more grounded.
Irrespective of your life stage ( i.e. Final year student getting ready to start professional life to someone with 20 years experience ) the following points would help you to lead a more balanced and fulfilled life :
- Determine your core values. What do you actually value? What gives you the greatest
amount of joy, energy, and success? Are you clear about your core values and aspired
values? This will help you to prioritize what you do and enjoy doing it (there is a fantastic
free online tool by Dr.Demartini which helps you to determine your core values). - Know your true north. It’s important to have a rough idea of where you are heading
and why. I am not saying to figure everything out but at least have an idea. Otherwise, someone else will determine your life journey. I found the book titled ‘Discover your true north’ by Bill George quite thought-provoking in this regard. It’s always worthwhile to engage in dialog and seek guidance from someone who has already achieved success. - Try to be consciously aware of the wheel of life. Tony Robbins adeptly highlights 7 areas of life: a) Health and Vitality, b) Mind and Meaning c)Love and Relationships, d) Productivity
and Performance ( maximizing personal output every day), e) Career and Business, f) Wealth
and Lifestyle and g) Leadership and Impact ( creating real lasting change in others and
world). As all the above-mentioned points deserve separate discussion on their own merit
hence, I will cover most of them in future posts. We all have to find our own balance in
our life journey, there is no one size fits all in this regard. - Growth Mindset: I consider this point extremely important. Irrespective of your profession
and life stage, if you do not have the right mindset you will fall behind. ‘Mindset’ by Carol
Dweck is one of my favorites in this regard. There are ways to nurture a growth mindset which I will discuss in a separate blog. - Build your ‘A’ team: ‘If you want to go fast go Alone. If you want to go far, Go together-
African Proverb. Who will you take on board during your journey? Do you need career
advice, financial advice, relationship advice, health advice, or psychological advice or do you think you can manage everything by yourself? Well… I can’t, hence I have a decent support
structure around me, and I will continue to seek support when I need it.
It’s up to you to decide if you just want to be a passenger in life and hope that wherever your journey takes you it will work out for you or do you want to take charge of your life and cherish every moment (wins and losses) while going through the ride. I invite of you to become more conscious of your life journey and take charge, you would be surprised to see when you ask for help how many people will step forward to support you (being authentic always helps). When you strike the right balance (this is unique to each individual based on your values, goals, and priorities) your overall success will come much faster and you will be fulfilled and content in life.
I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts regarding the above points and building on them.