CORPORATE SUFI: Life balance amidst change

What you need to know:

What you are looking for is a meaningful existence and a place to channel all your passion, as opposed to just covering the bases.

When our lives are balanced it means we are centered. We are able to make life decisions from our core values and principles, rather than succumbing to a reactive mode or “fire fighting.” Having balance also means being able to spend quality time in areas that we have defined as being important to us.

What you are looking for is a meaningful existence and a place to channel all your passion, as opposed to just covering the bases.

The secret for Maya Angelou, who is one of the most popular living poets today, an Emmy Award-winning actress and producer and mentor to Oprah Winfrey, is “finding many ways to feed my soul.” Balance for you may also mean finding many ways to feed your soul.

Life balance can be viewed in many ways. It can be a balance between home and work, or a balance between body, mind, and soul. Or it may be a balance between one’s material and spiritual lives.

It is important to know what life balance means to you. To do this, you need to know what areas of your life are important to you.

If you are worth billions of dollars, but in the process of acquiring that wealth you lose your health, your wealth will not replace your health, even though you may be able to afford the best medical treatment. Money can also not replace the loss of a family member if you have become estranged from them in the process of acquiring wealth. And if financial ambition causes you to lose your connection to your spirituality, your success may not allow you the degree of satisfaction and a deeper understanding of the nature of that success.

Balance creates synergy. An active and healthy body helps the mind and the spirit. When your mind is active and positive, it helps the body and spirit. And when your soul is nourished, it helps the body and mind. The synergistic effect that occurs through balance results in better all-round productivity.

Finding life balance starts with having clarity of purpose — knowing what you want and why you want it. Without clarity, we are unable to focus. This leads us to do too much, and results in imbalance. Remember, it is not how fast you go or how efficient you are that count, but rather whether you are going in the right direction. If you are heading in the wrong direction, even thinking positively will help only temporarily. Knowing where you want to go helps you to say “No” to things that are not important to you.

The key is to spend the bulk of our time on the things that are important in our lives, and to eliminate that which is unimportant.

Having clarity of purpose can help in determining what is important and what is not. If you find that you cannot eliminate the unimportant things in your life, then delegate or procrastinate these activities. This leaves you free to focus on executing around a tight set of priorities. To find balance, remember that less is more.

By scheduling weekly important items such as family activities, exercise, reading or praying time, you can ensure that you always include them in your busy week.

Having life balance brings meaning, fulfillment and happiness to our lives. Despite the constant changes in our environment, it is possible to find life balance. Most often, this is achieved by being able to spend quality time in areas that are important to you -- as defined by you, not by someone else.