Do This When You Feel Out Of Balance

I’m a very busy person. I’m not always sure if this is a good thing. I don’t always feel it but other people say it to me. It even feels like people who don’t really know me say, “Wow, you are busy.”

It doesn’t always feel like it to me. However, I do have moments where I begin to feel off kilter and out of balance. I know the feeling. It feels like burnout. It feels like I’m not sure of what to choose or what decision to make. The other morning, I had set an alarm to get up earlier than normal. When the alarm went off, I didn’t really remember why I was getting up anymore. I didn’t feel like there was anything pressing for me to do. It felt like I was just getting up in order to be able to say I got up early. And that is how I know.

Here’s the problem. I’m a creative; I’m an organizer; I’m a motivator; I’m a leader. When I see gaps, I immediately begin to think about how they can be addressed. The problem is it happens while I still have other things on my plate. Some days, this leads to a sense of being out of focus. And yet, some people say I’m one of the most focused people they know. Maybe I am. I don’t know the answer. But I do know the feeling of being out of balance. It feels like you’re slowly being drained of your power. It feels like what you are doing doesn’t matter as much. It feels a little like swimming upstream, working hard but not moving forward. For me, it’s a moment. But, for some, this is an every day feeling.

So, what do you do when you feel this way? It’s time to get radical. It’s time to do one thing…MAKE A STRONG DECISION! When I’m feeling out of balance, it means I’ve been taking on a bit more than I need to. This means I’ve not been using the word NO often enough. This is not just NO to other people. This may be NO to myself. There are some days where I need to tell myself NO in order to focus on the most important thing at that time. I may need to put some things aside for a minute in order to lock in radically.

I know I’m out of balance when my energy is drained by performing an activity that normally excites me. Recently, I had to say NO to being a part of a group which I would normally join. I’m a big believer in masterminds because it’s one of the ways I have gained traction in my business and life overall. I had the opportunity to be a part of one, which I would normally be excited about. However, I began to feel the tug which told me I was already tipping and this would drive me further out of balance. When I felt that, I went back home to sit. I wrote a list of everything I was doing. I then checked off the 5 things which were most important. Then, I began to prune. I began to make some strong decisions about what to be involved in and what to cut out. This is never an easy process. It can be conflicting because you may feel like you are quitting. If other people are involved, it can feel as if you are even letting them down. However, an out of balance you is not the BEST you. I’m pointing right now. Let me turn my hands toward me and say ‘an out of balance ME is not the BEST ME.’

As strange as it may seem, it took me a while to learn I’m not the only one who goes through this. The most successful people go through ‘out-of-balance’ moments. But when they are there, they PRUNE. They say NO. They begin to make STRONG DECISIONS. It’s hard. But, it is precisely how you begin to regain your power and your balance.