Tightrope: Know the warning signs, and bring balance back

— -- Hello, Gladys, I have had a running argument with several friends about the whole concept of living a balanced life. We have concluded that living a balanced life is impossible because there is just too much to do to keep it all in balance. Would you agree? — Allison

I believe that the idea of balance speaks more to the inner person than to our external happenings. When you are in balance you have a zest for life. And when the zest is gone, balance is gone.

Pay attention to the indicators: Lack of energy, irritability, jumpiness, lack of concentration, physical discomfort like headaches, over- or under-eating, being quick-to-anger ... these are just a few signs that say you are out of balance and lack harmony.

Having balance in life is not a steady state. And at some point we all tip the scales. The object is to try to keep in check as much as possible. Being easily angered and loss of energy are sure signs for me. Such times are unpleasant and become my signal to stop, sit down and reflect on what is going on in my life that has caused the scales to tilt.

One thing that I know for sure, if we ignore the emotional signs of trouble we leave ourselves open to physical ailments, which is what ultimately really tips the scales and forces us to recognize that we are under too much stress. We live in a society that advocates, "Take a pill for headaches, take a coffee break for energy, or better yet keep pumping sugar into our systems just to keep our energy up enough to run ourselves ragged.

These types of things treat the symptoms but not the cause. We can't eliminate the problem unless we become willing to investigate and understand the root cause.

Being in your own business is a big responsibility. As entrepreneurs, we have to practically live and breathe "awareness." We must remain aware of almost every passing moment. When we fail to do so, we fall into what I call a "waking sleep" in which we move through our lives in a state of unawareness. This state of being often finds us accepting every ill wind that blows our way without thinking about it. We tend to believe that every problem that is handed to us is our problem to solve.