BALANCE IN ALL THINGS IS THE KEY TO LIFE
Mark Lanfeld

As a child, perhaps you tried to balance yourself by walking on one of the rails on the railroad tracks. With your arms out at your sides, the goal was to see how long you could go before needing to touch your foot down to re-balance yourself before continuing. Such is life. Sometimes your journey is smooth and steady. At other times, you wildly flail about trying not to fall on your rear.

In effect, the whole universe is trying to stay in balance. It is not just us. Everything in nature looks to re-balance the forces which are too strong in one area and not strong enough in another. Our bodies also strive for this type of homeostasis. It happens without being aware of it. Therefore, when we maintain a state of balance in our lives, we are in harmony with the natural order of the universe. This harmony keeps our spirits youthful. We had better enjoy our present age because we are younger right now than we ever will be. Our spirits can be like that of a baby—eager to learn with a strong grasp of things.
 

We can all benefit from having a firm grasp on our lives. The world gives us so many mixed messages sending us in every direction that it is easy to lose our grip and become off balance. Then we are out of touch with our true selves—our true nature. One of the first telltale warning signs that we are getting out of balance is when we feel ourselves becoming restless. When this happens, we impulsively feel the desire to leap first and look later. However, it is at moments like this that we need to slow down, take a deep breath, and reestablish an emotional equilibrium in our minds and hearts. Diaphragmatic breathing is one way that we can get back in touch with who we are.
 

Here is another way to stay centered. This one involves the use of a visualization technique. Imagine that your spirit is a strong, healthy tree. Visualize your feet and toes turning into roots. Sink your roots deep into the rich soil of the earth. Picture your roots traveling all the way down to the center of the earth. Wrap your roots around the core of Mother Earth and anchor yourself securely; this will help you feel grounded and steady. With this new sense of stability, bring your mind’s awareness now to your upper body. Imagine your arms are tree limbs—strong and mighty. Reach out your branches to the sky. On the ends of your branches, visualize the old leaves falling off as fresh, green leaves sprout to replace them. Let the sunshine fill those new leaves with the energy of life. You feel balanced and centered.
 

Years ago, a woman sought my counsel because she was unhappy with her life. She was laid off from her job, in a loveless marriage, and eating a steady diet of junk food. Her life was out of balance. She spent her days slouched on the sofa staring at the TV. At times, she watched TV all night long neglecting her family.

Over time, she was able to realize that her life was in need of drastic change. With the support of her family, she acknowledged that there was a problem. As part of her therapy, she agreed to a reasonable behavior plan to bring her life back into balance. It was not until she made an effort to improve her life that she found the internal motivation she needed to bring harmony back into her mind and soul.
 

Your body craves homeostasis. It is your biological nature to seek balance. You don’t have to work at it. It’s as easy as letting go of your stubbornness and allowing nature to take its course. Going with the harmonious flow of nature is not fighting; it’s surrendering. And yet, all around there are people who are fighting to find harmony and balance. They are on a misguided path. You cannot force your way into a state of harmony any more than you can order someone to have fun.

To illustrate this, let’s return to the earlier image about the balancing act performed on the railroad tracks. When you start to lose your balance on the rail, you typically start waving your arms wildly as you desperately try to rectify yourself. Ironically, the more you flail about, the more you overextend yourself and fall. Put another way, trying too hard can throw you off balance.
 

So how do folks know when their spirits are in balance? Well, people who are balanced are typically reasonable in thought and action, not emotionally bound to their ideas, have patience with themselves and others, grounded by their spirituality, flexible to change, view everything in life as an opportunity to learn, and care about the well-being of others.
 

Something to meditate on today. On a piece of paper, write down all the major areas of your life. Include the following: home, financial, social, emotional, health, career, attitude, environment, spiritual, recreational, personality and psychological. Are all of these areas in balance with each other? If each of these items on your list were spokes on a wheel, would some of those spokes be shorter than others causing a distorted wheel? Is there a need for some adjustment? Let your energy be like that of the universe. Stay in balance by surrendering yourself to the wisdom of Mother Nature. That is the key to life.