Category: Balance

Keep Your Balance

We need to talk about balance in our lives. As we go about our daily living, we need to make plans as to where we want to go and work hard at where we are now. We need to ensure we take time to take care of ourselves and of those around us. I am sure some will automatically say the easy answer of ‘Roger that Sergeant.’ Unfortunately, to do this is going to take work on your part, and each of us who go out daily and face our lives head-on.

The first thing we have to do is get our heads on straight. Combing our hair or shaving are just minor points. We need time each day to look inside of ourselves and understand what we really want to do, how others perceive us, and how we can do better for both ourselves and those who surround us. This takes time. It also requires a willingness to take an honest look at ourselves to understand what we do right, and what we should be doing better. After all, the number one person in charge of you is no one other than the person in the mirror.

You need to consider yourself first, or else you will have nothing to give to anyone else, for you will slowly and utterly deplete. Don’t just eat, eat to fuel your mind, body, and objectives. Don’t just consider what you want to do, find what you want to do for yourself and those others around you. Don’t just plan, plan the ways to make them happen. This way, when you step out in front of your family, friends, coworkers, and customers, you will find that things will start to run a bit smoother. This is because you took the “you” time.

In our days of being pushed from here to there with emergencies and needs everywhere we look, even the idea of balance seems to be an idea of somebody on a tight wire with a long pole and walking along. It does not have to be like that. Keep your core calm and well-maintained. Face each demand as it comes, and remember that you do not have to be absolutely everything to absolutely everyone. We need to stay humble and realize what is and is not within our realm of possibilities.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Balance

In order to succeed in our lives, we need to strike a balance. As we go on our journey through life, there are always pressures pushing us from one side or another. And we need to fight to maintain our equilibrium, and not fall to those forces that would drive us off our chosen path.

If we pay attention to our travel and ignore the bad outside influences, or at least compensate for them, we will be able to ride a more accurate line to our goals. We can get to where we’re going in better shape and possibly a little faster. Yet, not all outside influences are bad. 

Throughout the stream of negative minutia, you may find some very positive opportunities. Sometimes people see the good work you’re doing, and they want to help or mentor you. If you can draft on them for a while and follow their path to help you get to your destinations, you can save valuable resources such as time, energy and money.

The one thing you have to avoid is losing your equilibrium entirely. Quite often when someone does this and goes down, the person falling often takes those nearest to them down also. The fallout from this type of loss could possibly be catastrophic.

The thought of losing equilibrium reminds me of a saying I have heard before. When you find yourself slipping you have one of three choices. You can dig in and push forward. You can slow down a little to fall back and regroup. Or, you can get out of the way and let somebody else take the lead for a while.

Whichever way you choose, make the choice yours. Always be willing to gain a hand or lend a hand. And, although it is not always easy, be sure to set aside hubris to do the things that will make you and others most proud.

Just another thought from a mean old Master Sergeant.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.