Four more balance lessons to live by

There is nothing I love more than getting settled into a great personal development book. The genres that I draw these from are wider than you may expect and include some that you may. From parenting to philosophy to psychology, they all have one thing in common. They make me think, help me act and have insights that I can share with my clients. Today, I want to share four more balance lessons to live by.

 You may have already uncovered some of the previous titles, and lessons, from my earlier article, aptly titled “Five balance lessons to live by”. Since this blog was published, my “finished” list has grown, at a similar rate as my to-read list! In this week’s blog, I want to share four lessons from some more recent books. When you take them on board, they can help impact many aspects of your personal and professional life, and help you create the balance life you want.

Four more balance lessons to live by! 

Rest is not a reward for completion. This is a lesson that should be applied to all elements of life! 

 How often have you told yourself you can rest when you are finished; both from work and home? KC Davis highlights you can and must rest when you want and need. Like work is never finished, care tasks are ongoing. She challenges us to consider where this message has come from. Within this conversation is the issue of division of labour- especially when there is more than one adult in the house. She proposes rather than making “work” “equal” (as is so common), make rest fair. Within this, is the clear definition of what true rest is (you can find that on pages 100-101)

From How to Keep House whilst Drowning by KC Davis.

 

Increased gender equality is better for everyone. By advocating for ourselves, being an ally and building a more equitable world, will benefit everyone! 

Simply it’s shown throughout the book that giving women more authority (which they rightly deserve) leads to a better world; more peaceful, and increased quality of life for all. Even more (and this may be the tipping point for those that lean toward a more capitalist agenda) it’s better for the economy (through an increased GDP) which has social, community and ecological impacts. There is really no reason why ALL women should not be listened to!

 

From The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart 

 

Take a birds-eye view of your internal chatter. When you find yourself overwhelmed and undertaking a lot of negative self-talk, step away!

It is suggested one way of reducing the way internal thoughts intrude, is to create what is known as “temporal distance.” Considering how you will feel about this moment, or thought, significantly in the future, can give you a perspective and change what feels like a major issue into a minor event. For example, that deadline that you are losing sleep over. Imagine how you will feel about this in 5 years. 

 

From Chatter by Ethan Kross.

 

 

There is a real power of being in “Flow.” Balance is just as much about what you do, as it is about what you do not do!

One of the central ideas in “Flourish” is the concept of “engagement” or “flow” — the state of being fully absorbed and immersed in an activity. You go into flow when your highest strengths are used to meet the highest challenges that come your way. Doing this successfully leads to more positive emotion, more meaning, more accomplishment, and better relationships. How often do you think you are in this state? If you want to know what your strengths are, you can find one of several assessments here. 

 

From Flourish by Martin Seligman

 

 

If these four lessons have got you thinking, don’t forget to read the rest of the lessons learned to fill your personal development cup. My “Clara Cliff Notes” for my book reviews give you an introduction to the impact and content within each title – you will only get the full experience by reading the book in its entirety, so make sure you hunt down any that grab your attention. 

 

You can find the other reviewed titles here.