(Published in Spiritually Speaking of The Daily Guardian on January 11, 2021)
Life is such a balancing act: Head and heart, family and work, business and social and the balance of our physical and spiritual worlds.
We live in two worlds at the same time: Our physical world, where the focus is on material things, money, competition, facts, organisation, planning and accomplishing. We are in this physical world, but we are actually spiritual beings who are temporarily being held here by our physical body.
A key to balance is to realise that we are eternal souls currently here on planet earth. This is not just theory or philosophy but comes from our own experiences. When we truly understand ourselves as the souls we are, we can relax and enjoy the journey. We can also learn from all the experiences we are having here. We are souls with a body, not a body with a soul. When we know and live from this understanding, life becomes more content and satisfying. We can be involved in the physical world, not controlled by its challenges but learning and assimilating all the lessons we learn.
In the end, even the physical is spiritual. Our life in this physical world is an opportunity to learn, grow and evolve.
Balancing our physical and spiritual worlds means living with practicality, with facts and organisation along with the essence of the True Self. Our true essence is the good, kind, loving, spiritual beings that we are. This True Self shines when we are relaxed and feeling connected.
The key to staying connected with the True Self is aligning thoughts and actions with our true inner being—thinking in a solution-oriented way. Do we tend to spend too much time complaining to ourselves or others when faced with challenges? Do we give up when we face a challenge, or do we evaluate the situation, tune into an inner guidance and keep moving along our path?
Living in two worlds at once means we stay tuned into our values and purpose. We know who we are, where we are, and where we are going. Through this inner connection nothing stops us from living our dreams and desires.
We have a divine inner guidance to help us create the life we are here to experience. Qualities like self-love, self-respect, perseverance, enthusiasm, joy, love, kindness, patience, discipline and faith are also strengthened through this inner guidance. Some of those qualities may be well-developed already, while others we may want to expand in ourselves.
We need to be sincere with ourselves. Consistent self-reflection, or regrouping through meditation, walking outdoors and being creative helps keep our balance and boosts our progress.
What are the aspects of a balanced person? Physical, mental, emotional, social, financial and spiritual.
When it comes to life, happiness, and well-being, there isn’t one single area of life that we need to focus on. Instead, life is multidimensional and constantly changing.
Focusing too much on one area can cause the other areas to be neglected. This is why practicing balance and having a complete picture perspective toward life is so important.
These are some of the areas of our lives that need to all be balanced as much as possible.
1. PHYSICAL
The physical aspect of life includes our health and the way we take care of our bodies. This includes what we eat and drink, exercising and hygiene.
Our body is the most precious gift we have in the physical world and without it we can’t exist here. If we are not healthy, we certainly can’t enjoy all the other aspects of life. For that reason, taking care of our physical health is the very first step on the road to happiness.
2. MENTAL
If we don’t take care of our body, then it will slowly deteriorate. And the same is true for the mind. Just because you don’t have to go to school anymore doesn’t mean you can’t keep learning new things and challenging your brain. Reading books. Learning new things. Following the news. These are all ways to keep our minds sharp and continue to update our knowledge and beliefs. Learning is something that should be a lifelong process.
3. EMOTIONAL
We also need to pay attention to our “emotional” side. Emotions can often seem like something that we have limited power over, but being a more emotionally intelligent person means becoming more self-aware and learning how to better regulate our emotions and behaviour. It is crucial that we know how to reflect and navigate through our emotional worlds.
4. SOCIAL
Healthy relationships are an essential ingredient to happiness and well-being. Having a social life and a sense of belonging is a basic human need that can’t be avoided. Even introverts need a few true friends to give them a sense of purpose and meaning. We are social animals and one of the reasons why our souls have come to Earth is to experience living with others and to learn from the lessons that relationships give us.
5. WORK/FINANCIAL
Another aspect of a balanced person that cannot be ignored is our material needs such as food, shelter, healthcare, and other basics to living a healthy and dignified life. For most people, this means having a job/career that both supports their material well-being, as well as their psychological well-being. While we don’t always get a choice in what we do for a living, there are important ways to give ourselves more power over both our work life and financial life.
6. SPIRITUAL
Spirituality can sometimes be the most overlooked aspect to life. For many people, religion is their main source of spirituality and meaning, but we don’t necessarily need religion to find a larger purpose to life.
Art, culture, philosophy, relationships, meditation and creativity can all play a role in creating more meaning in our lives and living more purposefully.
Have faith that life is good. Faith does have an important role in good living. Don’t underestimate the importance of seeing the good in things, even our very worst experiences can be valuable, as they are only lessons that make us stronger. Every moment is a source of wealth. Practice living richly.
Don’t underestimate the importance of “spirituality” or having a meaningful life. When you have a spiritual core, you can withstand almost any difficulty or hardship. It can empower you and motivate you to a whole other level.
And finally, there must always be a balance between giving and receiving. Neither extreme is good. We must do both.
Be balanced in everything that you do.