Written by: Stephanie Train Puente, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you feeling stuck, unmotivated, overwhelmed, or discontent? Do you crave to find more balance, joy, and fulfillment in your daily life?
Know that you’re not alone!
For many of us, it can be easy to get caught up in our day-to-day routines and demands of work, relationships, and other responsibilities. But neglecting our own needs can lead to feelings of resentment and symptoms of burnout.
The good news? It’s never too late to shift and begin to make some much-needed changes. Regardless of where you are right now, here are three powerful keys you can use to help you prioritize yourself, find more balance and create a life you love:
1. Define What Matters
To achieve balance, we must first identify what’s most important to us. This involves identifying our core values and priorities and determining which activities and commitments align with them.
Living a life according to our values gives us an increased sense of well-being, authenticity, and connection to others. Living a life against our values can make us feel low-energy and uninterested in our daily lives.
What’s most important to you? Make a list of 3-5 things you value most. This list should reflect what’s important to you, not what other people may expect or want from you.
Knowing your values and what is most important to you will help guide you to make more intentional decisions and take action toward living a happier life.
“Decision making is power. Most people don’t have the guts to make ‘tough decisions’ because they want to make the ‘right decision’ and so they make ‘no decision’. Remember, life is short, so do things that matter the most and have the courage to make ‘tough decisions’ and to chase your dreams.” – Yama Mubtakeraker
2. Prioritize Yourself
Society tells us we have to put the needs of others first — and that anything else is selfish. We may sacrifice our own needs or stop prioritizing things that make us feel like… well, us. But if we’re always prioritizing others’ needs before our own — we feel drained.
But when we’re considerate of our own needs, we’re more likely to show up for the people we love as our full and actualized selves. Because doing what we love recharges us.
“If you want to have enough to give to others, you will need to take care of yourself first. A tree that refuses water and sunlight for itself can’t bear fruit for others.” – Emily Maroutian
So set aside time each day — or even weekly — to do something that makes you feel good. Make it a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
3. Take Charge of Your Schedule
Finding balance means taking charge of our lives as we balance our time between work, personal life, and self-care. To do this, we have to decide what is most important to us — and cut away everything that isn't aligned with that. We must set boundaries and stick to them — even when it’s challenging.
Many of us can feel like our schedule is in charge of us and dictates what's possible in our lives. This can leave us feeling resentful and like our time is not our own. But we have the authority to choose how we want to invest our time.
Because when we put ourselves first and make time for things like self-care, fun, vacations, and exploring other interests — we discover that we're better able to show up more fully for our family, work, and our other responsibilities.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. – Stephen Covey
Conclusion
Finding balance is about acknowledging and honoring our own needs and limitations. We all have responsibilities and obligations, but we also deserve to live a life that brings us happiness and fulfillment. So take some time this week to apply these 3 keys to invite more balance in your schedule and activities and create a more fulfilling life you love.
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website to learn more about how we can work together to create more balance, joy and fulfillment in your life.
Stephanie Train Puente, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Stephanie Puente is a certified coach, speaker, international bestselling author and practitioner of life success principles. Her 25+ years of study and experience working with transformational mindset tools has helped hundreds of people to reshape their lives and discover their inherent ability to build their dreams and create a life they love living. Stephanie is a bridge for women leaders, helping them to transform their inner critic into an empowered advocate for greater self-love and authentic confidence so that they boldly shine their light, give their gifts, and fulfill their mission in business and in life.
