You might often hear about work-life balance, but what does it really mean? Is it really about dividing your time equally between the two? And are they even the only two things you must balance in your life?
I interviewed Rida Bakhsh, certified life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Rida Bakhsh Coaching Collective. She had truly inspiring and educational answers on this topic. Here is what this inspiring person wrote:
1. What does a balanced life look like to you, and what are the benefits?
My perspective of a balanced life is when you place attention to both external and internal factors that truly represent your happiness. This can include areas of work, social, family, fun but also our mind, body, and heart.
There is a common misconception that balance means dividing your time equally to all things. Our society often equates being busy with being successful when in fact, that is simply not the case. When we are spread too thin, only offering a small piece of ourselves in each area, that quickly leads to exhaustion, burn out and overwhelm. That is the opposite of living a balanced life.
We must identify the areas that are most important and focus our energies there. When we do, we reap many benefits such as fulfillment, connection, alignment, and focus.
2. What could cause imbalance in someone’s life?
Imbalance can be caused by a variety of factors. When we isolate focus on one area of our life and neglect the others, we start living in tunnel vision and autopilot. For example, if we are only focused on getting that promotion or launching our business, then our self-care or family life may suffer. Alternately imbalance can also occur when we spread ourselves too thin trying to focus on everyone and everything. This happens often when we attempt to accomplish everything and multitask in numerous areas. When we are not showing up as our true self and only partially available, we are missing the purpose of what we are trying to achieve.
Balance comes when we have just that, balance. In order to be successful at finding balance, we must dive deeper into other areas of our emotional wellness. Our thoughts, feelings and actions all pave the way to fully achieving alignment, focus and balance.
3. What are some mistakes people make when trying to live a balanced life?
As I alluded to above, by focusing solely on the destination, we tend to lose sight of the journey. Our life is not only about meeting or exceeding our goals but rather the overall quality of our experiences along the way. This can be based on various factors.
When we continually put others first and ourselves last, we easily fall into overwhelm. This can lead us down a slippery slope of resentment. This behavior is unconducive to living a well-balanced life unless you also prioritize what makes you happy.
A common mistake often made is basing your happiness on the happiness of others. Meaning if ‘they are happy’ then you are happy. True happiness comes from within and not dependent on external circumstances. Knowing that you matter is important when trying to achieve a level of balance in any aspect of your life.
4. What first steps can people take to start living a balanced life?
Not everything is important to everyone so a critical first step is to assess your own values. Values change over time so what was once important to you may not be anymore.
Once your values are identified, give more attention to what makes you happy that aligns with your vision. Be conscientious to also consider your mind, body, and heart in this process.
Remember to stay living in the present and manage your thoughts. Highlight how far you have come versus focusing on how far you have to go. This will allow you to stay in alignment and be appreciative of the journey on your way to your destination.
5. What habits can people do to maintain that balance?
Sit in gratitude each day. This helps us to bring attention back to the present so you can focus your energy on what is most important. Prioritize your own self-care because without taking care of your physical and emotional needs, you will not achieve balance and happiness.
Incorporate journaling into your routine. It is easy to get lost in the monotony of life. We start to overthink, over-analyze, and over criticize others and ourselves. When this happens, take time to journal out your thoughts. Extract everything from your brain and get it onto paper. This will allow you to gain perspective and clarity so you can make better decisions.
In addition, develop a time management plan to help manage your day. Once you have identified what areas of your life you seek to focus on, chunking and scheduling your time accordingly will help you achieve balance across these areas. You will start to see a shift in your overall outlook once you change your approach.
It is easy for us to become our own worst enemy and fall into overwhelm, unhappiness and feeling stuck. However, when we think clearly, we can reset and refocus our attention where needed. Sitting in gratitude, journaling and time management strategies will help to eliminate irrational thoughts and promote logical thinking. By incorporating these habits, you are on your way to living life with more intention and purpose in a well-balanced manner.
6. What tools would you recommend for people who want to learn more about balance?
There are numerous resources available to learn about balance. For those who thrive with self-help, I recommend finding a coach or mentor that resonates with you. They can help you identify your values, assess what matters most and devise a plan to help you achieve balance.
I am a life coach, mentor and speaker helping women to achieve balance in their life by amplifying their MIC (Mindset, Image & Confidence). When we feel stronger in these areas, we are better equipped to make decisions that positively affect the overall quality of our life.
Alternately, if you prefer shelf-help, I recommend reading Teetering: A Frazzled, Overworked Person’s Guide to Embrace Change and Find Balance by Tina Asher. The author is relatable and shares her personal experience and challenges with finding balance. This is a thought-provoking book that encourages the reader to assess their own situation and offers helpful strategies.
Finding balance is a process. Begin with defining what balance means to you and explore those areas of your life. Be patient with yourself. By doing research and taking inspired action, you will start living a life full of balance and enrichment.
About Rida
Rida Bakhsh is a certified life coach, mentor, speaker, and founder of the Rida Bakhsh Coaching Collective whose mission is to inspire, educate and empower others to become the best version of themselves. She promotes positive vibes and sends high energy back into the world, one woman at a time through coaching and clothing.
Her story consists of challenges, hardships, and setbacks but through personal development, mindset shifts and radical change, she transformed her life to become the woman she wanted to be.
Because of her own breakthrough, Rida understands the struggles and now dedicates her focus to helping “the woman she was” achieve similar results through coaching, mentoring, workshops, clothing, and her online presence.
In addition to her focus on emotional wellness, Rida is also a wife, proud mama bear of two, recovering people pleaser, inspirational t-shirt designer, coffee enthusiast and lover of life.
You can connect with Rida through her website ridabakhsh.com and social media pages:
Instagram — @rida.bakhsh
Facebook — @hello.ridab
Twitter — @ridabakhsh
LinkedIn — @ridab
About the interviewer
My name is Jeff Monnery, a videographer and documentarian whose mission is to ensure people are given the choice to make positive changes toward self-empowerment. I am the founder of Spoken Out Stories, a video series about stories of people who lived a hard experience in their life, and found their way to move forward with courage, determination, and optimism.
You can connect with me through my social media pages:
Instagram — @jeffmonnery
Twitter — @jeffmonnery
Facebook — @JeffMonnery
LinkedIn — @jeffmonnery
About An Unlearning Initiative
An Unlearning Initiative is an interview series of people sharing the experience and expertise on various topics around mental health, self-empowerment, empathy, and love.
It is about giving others diverse perspectives from around the World to help unlearn misconceptions and enlighten people toward a better understanding of what is around them.
You can connect with An Unlearning Initiative through these social media pages:
Instagram — @anunlearninginitiative
Twitter — @AnUnlearning
Facebook — @anunlearninginitiative