Life Balance: 3 Ways to Bring More Peace and Happiness into Your Life

By: Ed McDonough | Posted: 20th May 2009

As a Life Balance Expert and Personal Development Life Coach, one question I am frequently asked is "How can I bring greater peace, happiness and balance into all areas of my life?"

For many, having a well-rounded balanced life may seem like a dream, but the fact is anyone, including you, can live a happier, more enjoyable well-balanced life. And, the best part is, it's a lot easier to accomplish than you may think.


How You Became Out-of-Balance
Stress, anxiety, information overload and countless expectations set upon you by others can easily throw your body, mind and spirit into a state of imbalance, and your life into a state of disarray. It can drain you emotionally and have a huge impact on you physically.


The number one reason this happens is due to a lack of self-focus. In other words, you put the needs of every one else before your own and over time, this drains the life energy out of you.


When this takes place, it causes you to become "unhappy" and that's where the disconnection happens. It is proven that you cannot function at your optimal performance if you do not have harmony in all areas of your life.


As I mentioned above, getting yourself back "in balance" is rather simple once you recognize that your wellness and well-being must come before every one else. The following are three steps that will easily get you on your way to bringing more peace and happiness into your life.


1 - Make Time to Bring Balance into Your Life
Now that you know your happiness and well-being are not only important to your life, but to the lives of those who surround you, it is time to make balancing your life a top priority.


This means, how well you take care of yourself is the most essential aspect of bringing more balance into your life. The three areas you'll want focus on are your physical health, your mental awareness and your spiritual well-being.


Balancing your physical health starts by practicing simple exercise and slowly adjusting your diet so you eat food that is better for your health. Notice I didn't say to completely change your life by joining a new gym, engage in a three hour a day workout and set a goal to lose 25 pounds in the next two weeks.


Going from one extreme to the other does not represent bringing greater balance into your life. I know from experience this method will actually put you more out of balance than do you good.


A sensible way, which will be easier and more enjoyable for you to start, is to take one step at a time towards living a healthier lifestyle. An example would be to take a five-minute walk everyday and cut down on the amount of food you eat at each meal. Another weight watching technique I personally use is not to eat anything after 7:00 PM. My coaching practice has shown me simple bite-size changes usually have the greatest and longest lasting impact on changing one's life for the better.


Balancing your mental awareness is really easy too. In order to think more clearly and have greater focus in you life, you need to put good things and ideas into your head if you want to get good thoughts and actions out.


There are many outstanding audio programs, books and workshops that can help you have greater mental awareness and focus on keeping a steady stream of positive thoughts flowing both in and out of your mind.


I always suggest starting with a book (or audio book) from one of the masters in the personal development field. Continually reading (or listening) to positive information will keep your mind focused on bringing new and wonderful things and events into your life.


Your spiritual well-being is another area that can have a tremendous impact on bringing and maintaining balance in your life.


Spending quiet time each day in prayer or meditation is the most effective way to balance your spiritual energy with your physical energy. It allows you to release stress and anxiety while giving you an excellent opportunity to focus on becoming a better, healthier more happier you.


2 - Clearly Identify What to Want
The major obstacle I see folks struggling with when attempting to find true inner balance in their life is having a clear understanding of how they want life to be.


To bring genuine balance into your life, you must know what your "balanced life" will be like once you get there.


One technique you can use to help you clearly identify this is to schedule some quiet time for yourself and then answer the following questions:

  • What would my perfectly balanced life look like?
  • How would I live each day?
  • What would I do?
  • Where would I go?
  • Who would I be with?
  • How would I feel?

    While performing this exercise, it is important to be open and honest with yourself and to try and picture living a balanced life as if it has already come to fruition.


    Understanding all the aspects of what your "balanced life" will look like to you, and seeing it in your minds eye, is a vital step in making it a reality.


    3 - Learn to Love Yourself
    Loving the person you are is synonymous with life balance, and this is why you need to do it. Inner balance leads to external balance, which will make your life and the lives of those around you better.


    When you completely respect the person you are, and when you are true to your inner word, balance will be a normal part of your entire life. The significant point I want to make here is you must be true to yourself and love who you are "today."


    You are the person you are, and regardless of what others may tell you or what you may think others think about you, up until this very moment, you have defined exactly who you are. Good, bad or indifferent, you are the person you are and you should love that person deeply.


    It doesn't mean you have to stay this way; it just means you recognize the "you" you really are and that you are in harmony with who that person is right now. This is a huge step towards finding inner balance and harmony in your life.


    If you don't have love for yourself, or you are having a hard time seeing it, here is a wonderful way to help yourself. Metaphysical teacher and author Louise Hay instructs you in her book, "You Can Heal Your Life," to look in the mirror, directly into your own eyes, at least once a day and say your first name followed by "I love you, I really love you!"


    Not only will this help you connect to your inner self and see the beautiful person in there, it will put a big smile on your face and fill your heart with love. Try it and see the amazing effects for yourself.


    Balancing Your Life
    When people who want to improve their life come to me, the three steps I guide them through are, make the time to balance your life, clearly identify what you want and learn to love who you already are.


    Together these steps seem to work like a magic potion. But the real magic is not in the steps, it is within you and your desire to bring more peace, harmony and balance into your life. Follow them carefully.About the Author
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    Tags: three steps, simple exercise, top priority, information overload, harmony, life energy, optimal performance, physical health, disarray, disconnection, peace and happiness, personal development, balanced life, life balance, life coach, mental awareness, body mind and spirit, mind and spirit, stress anxiety