Two Fish Gallery, Elkhart Lake, WI

Yesterday I attended a webinar where the speaker talked about getting to the core of what your passion is. Then once finding it, giving up the idea of trying to live a balanced life. The idea being that when you find your passion, it should then just meld in with your life. I love this.

It is something I’ve tried to do and continue to strive to do. For me, when a writing idea hits me I’ve gotten better at making a note of it to come back to. But I want to take those moments of thoughts floating fast through my mind and get them down on paper or into my computer in that moment.  I don’t want to set it aside for a “better” time. While I realize that may not always be easy, I believe I can do better.

One thing I love about my life in regards to giving up what seems to be a balanced life is I think we get caught up in thinking that a 9-5 job is balanced. For so long I would go to a job that I didn’t like. I’d tell myself to just do the work and when I got home I could enjoy my life then. This seems so backwards to me now. Many others seem to be feeling this way too.

This morning I’m working on my blog post for the day which you are now reading. But soon I will be off to a restorative yoga class. This is my special treat to myself for the last three months of being busy with my blog tour for “Through Frankie’s Eyes.” I like how I can do my writing this morning, then take a break to treat myself.  I don’t do this everyday, but I do try to weave in these moments of centering myself in different ways. Whether I walk the dogs, take a tea break on my deck or out front on my bench, or ride my bike to the grocery store, along with working in my writing cottage, I try to go with the ebb and flow as much as I can.

So what is someone to do if they work a 9-5 job, right? When I worked at our local resort I found creative ways to center myself. I’d often take my 10-minute afternoon break and walk down to the lake front. Just getting outside and seeing the water always refreshed me. During my lunch break I’d head home and often take a 30-minute nap. I’d have my lunch prepared but would eat when I returned to my desk and began working again. I used to enjoy cross stitching. In the winter months during my lunch hour I’d work on a cross stitch project.

No matter if you work outside the home or from home, I think the idea of a balanced life is a myth. Does it really exist? Maybe you love your 9-5 job and it is your passion, but at times you feel out of balance. Maybe giving up the idea there is such a thing as a balanced life can help along with mixing into your day small moments of pleasure and joy is the key.

I know for me after hearing the speaker yesterday, I feel a great deal of relief in realizing that just like there is no such thing as perfect, there may also be no such thing as balanced. But finding the center of what makes our hearts sing and living within that space as much as possible may just be the thing to living the best life that we can.