There's a lot--and I mean a lot--of talk out there about what it means to live a balanced life. And while I like the idea, and I'm sure you do too, I think it remains somewhat elusive to us because we're not sure what it looks like. Does it mean we end up working less and relaxing more? Is it that simple? Or can it mean being more productive and just less stressed? I don't believe there's a secret algorithm for being balanced, nor is there a fixed point that we should strive to attain.
I'd like to challenge us all to strive for something else entirely: To live a more sustainable life.
And by sustainable I mean having enough energy to, you know, do things. The things you have to do (work among them) and the things you want to do, whether that's spend more time with family or build the business you always dreamed of. There's no right answer--and that means there's as many ways to make it happens as there are things we want to have happen.
So I'm going to start sharing with you each week, more if I can do it, ways to help us (you, me, anyone) live more sustainably (as I do in this video, also posted above). The idea being that we all may want to do and have different things, but in order to do any of them, we need to plug up the leaks, reexamine the ways we spend our time, exert a little discipline, and ignite our motivation.
I hope you'll join me for the ride! And hey--follow me on Twitter @TerriT.
-Terri.
Terri Trespicio is senior features editor at Whole Living magazine and the host of "Whole Living" on Martha Stewart Living Radio, which airs every day at 10a East / 7a West on Sirius 112 / XM 157. Follow her on twitter @TerriT.
From: Tweets that mention Want More Energy? Don’t Spend It All In One Place - Whole Living Daily : Whole Living -- Topsy.com | 1/24/11 at 2:31 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Troy Corley and Alisa Bowman, Terri Trespicio. Terri Trespicio said: Want more energy? Don't spend it all in one place, then. The first in a series of homespun vids I'm doing. @wholeliving http://ow.ly/3IRkq [...]
From: wilma brennan | 1/24/11 at 9:59 am
Looking forward to this. The difficult part is refining choices--narrowing focus to the areas that are essential, and/or that can be done well given individual limitations of age, health, finances, location, etc. When taking on a big challange, like finishing a college degree, recovering from an illness, or learning a new job skill, one has to realize that some other things will not get done. Chaos overwhelms us if we don't take charge of our goals and prioritize our efforts.
From: Terri Trespicio | 1/24/11 at 2:53 pm
You are right. I think though we tend to just let chaos rule--I do it too--but I'm never so happy as when I enforce a little order on it and take back the reins. So that's what I'll attempt to help you do, too.
From: WorkingSmall: link roundup « WorkingSmall | 2/12/11 at 4:44 pm
[...] Want More Energy? Don’t Spend It All In One Place (Whole Living) — Reconsider your definition of a “balanced life”: “[W]hile I like the idea, and I’m sure you do too, I think it remains somewhat elusive to us because we’re not sure what it looks like. Does it mean we end up working less and relaxing more? Is it that simple? Or can it mean being more productive and just less stressed?” [...]