“Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year, and forever.”
—Neil Gaiman
Recently someone said to me they don’t think there is such a thing as balance. Life balance, that is.
Obviously it made me stop and think since my blog is titled “The Balance Wheel.”
I think about giving up the blog, the writing, but it calls me back. And I realize I didn’t start the blog to answer other people’s questions and struggles with how to find balance, but to help myself figure it out. After all, isn’t that what writers do? Write to figure out themselves, others, the world around us?
IS balance a possibility?
Perhaps it’s something we get later in life, or at moments in life. When we are older and retired I imagine, (and hope), there’s more balance. In the summer when I am not teaching full time, I have more life balance.
I seem to think if I can find balance in my life, I can do it all. I can teach for income, pursue my writing passion, homeschool, spend time with my family, take care of the house and pets, exercise, maintain friendships, and find me time.
Maybe I’m approaching it the wrong way…writing, that is. My dream.
What if we are meant to laser focus our dreams, and prioritize them rather than attempt to balance them?
I’ve been considering these factors as I have struggled lately with my writing, my family, my life, and my own mental health. I can prioritize, but if I’m not strong mentally, then my best intentions get me nowhere. A positive mindset is essential to achieving goals and success in life. Not having it makes failure difficult to handle; motivation almost impossible; consistency nonexistent.
I am doing what I can to help myself through the hard times I’m in as of late. Self doubt cannot prevail. My mantras these days are to trust myself, have confidence in myself, and to put my own feelings first.
I also can’t let fear get in the way. Like the quote above—being afraid to make mistakes. It’s something I need to let go. I need to take risks, experiment, find myself again. Especially with writing and blogging, but with life too. I need the recklessness of youth, tempered with the wisdom of middle age.
I want to share something that made me think this week…
And something that made me laugh this week…
I don’t exactly make resolutions, mostly because I am in the constant process of trying to improve myself, but last year I started picking a word of the year to be my focus. Last year I chose perseverance. My 2024 word is perspective. I think I need to view everything in life a bit differently this year.
How about you, dear readers? Any resolutions for 2024? Do you believe in making them? Drop a comment below!
Here’s to a New Year Dreamers! May it bring you abundant blessings!✨🌓🥂🎆💜
Oh! And…we got another cat! Luna is technically my son and his girlfriend’s cat, but they live in our basement, so…😺
The Balance Wheel 