Balancing it out

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Life is a constant give and take where many of us strive for balance as we navigate our individual journeys. Some might be led by an all-or-nothing mentality, others with moderation as their guide. Personally, I’m on a mission to better balance my overall well-being. While Bikram yoga has been my go-to safe place to nurture my physical and emotional health, as well as share in a sense of community among other yogis, I’ve recently begun exploring additional ways to bring cohesiveness to my everyday life. This may look like time carved out to enjoy a new hobby, practice self-love over a glass of wine and a good book or find solace in prayer or corporate worship. Just like one food cannot provide the nourishment we need to maintain healthy, fruitful lives, we cannot expect to sustain our zest for life if we invest 100 percent of our energies into a single endeavor. It’s about sometimes taking the scenic route.

What different ways do you balance it out?

Winging it is for the birds

[Image credit: tungphoto]

The verdict is in regarding my attempt to “wing it” while vacationing a week and a half ago.  This is where I purposefully chose not to carve any concrete plans in stone prior to my departure, opting to go with the flow and make plans as I went.  This left too many things to chance, however … too many “holes” to be filled.  And when one arrangement fell through, I scrambled to find another to take its place — oftentimes to no avail.  Needless to say, future trips will be planned in advance.  But I think my biggest problem, at times, tends to be an all-or-nothing mindset.  So rather than extreme planning (either overbooking or playing things by ear), I need to try a middle-of-the-road approach.  In other words, schedule ahead while taking into account time constraints, and follow up with a contingency plan.  The best laid plans may not always work out, but they’re better than making none at all.  Although my trip was still a success, it could have been better.

Do you prefer winging it on vacation or mapping out your days?