Bringing Balance to Life: An Introduction With Words and Music

Most of us, almost all the time, fight the battle for possession and power. We find ourselves trapped on the freeway of rush. We have a shopping-mall mentality, a lunch hour McDonald's appetite, a sales-meeting life's philosophy. Before we know it, perhaps even without wanting to, we find our­selves leaping into the fast-lane without consid­ering whether we have an option. 

All of us are busy, perhaps productive…and very tired. All of us sense that we were not made for the rush ­hour, freeway kind of life we frenetically live. We seek calm, not chaos. We know, innately, that simpler times create better times. 

Yet activity is necessary. We must produce---all of us---or we become drones of society. Inactivity destroys the zest for life. We were created for motion and mastery.

Nearly all of us blame our unbalanced life on the lack of time:

• "Too many projects!"
• "Family? I  never have enough time for them."
• "All those business meetings do for me is put callouses on my rear end."
• "These constant interruptions make me sick to the stomach."
• "We didn't take a vacation last year because our business consumed us."
• "Time for myself? You've got to be kidding!"
•  "Committee meeting!?! Oh no!!! Not another one!!!"
•  "Life style? What's that?"
• "A nap? Considered it.......but no time for one."
• "Spiritual life? Oh yes, I attend church for an hour just about every Sunday."
• "I could have 48 hours a day and still couldn't catch up."

Is there a halfway point between burn out and rust out?  Yes. Balance is a choice. Life is balanced by being alive to both sides of our nature --- duty and serenity, work and love, activity and rest. 

For the next few months this blog will cover ways to bring balance to our lives  Practicing what's written here will help you:

• Have time for your dreams to come true
• Find time you never knew you had
• Learn to set priorities
• Organize your life
• Learn to refuse worthless projects
• Defeat procrastination
• Organize efficient time-saving meetings
• Give up the quest for perfection
• Overcome indecisiveness
• Balance your work and leisure time
• Find time for romance
• Cultivate a spiritual life that gives life meaning
• Have fun every day
• Use rest power
• Improve family communication
• Find time for your children
• Rid your life of time wasters
• Write bold, brief, empowering emails, letters, and memos.  
• Defeat negative emotions that mess up your life
• Rid yourself of bad habits that steal your time
• Add more life to your years
• Live one day at a time
• Reduce paperwork clutter
• Translate your dreams into achievable goals
• Know your core values for a successful life

A friend asked that I add music to inspire us to lead a more balanced life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk3rS8Yh-SI

How Cognitive Behavior Therapy Works

•Addresses distorted, negative thinking

•Teaches that emotions come from thoughts

•Challenges Shoulds, Oughts, and Musts

•Focuses on improving thoughts

–Who specifically?

–Where did you hear that?

–What makes you think that?

–When will that happen?

–How do you know?

–Are your feelings based on fact?

–Will your thinking help protect your life and health?

–Will your thinking help you achieve your goals?

–Will your thinking help you avoid interpersonal conflicts?

–Will your thinking help you feel the emotions you want to feel?