Finding balance has always been a struggle for me. As a Gemini (represented by twins), I have always found it really difficult to find balance. I would just bounce between extremes in my emotions; either I'd be over the moon about something or I'd want nothing to do with it, either I trusted completely or not at all, either I tried my hardest or I wouldn't even bother. You get the idea. Life is really hard when there's no in-between, no balance. Because of this, I have always been drawn to the idea of a balanced life and diligently sought after it. Over the last twenty years, I have learned as much as I could on this topic. I'm happy with the balance I've achieved but even after twenty years, I'm still learning and growing every day. My hope is that sharing what I've learned will help others on a similar journey and we can learn and grow together.

Living a balanced life seems nearly impossible, doesn't it? How in the world can we, as women, be amazing moms, wives, bosses, employees, children to our parents and still have time to give back, keep God in the center of our lives and home, clean the house, cook, work out and take care of ourselves? That's just not possible, right?

Just take a moment to imagine your life being balanced. What does that look like? What does that feel like? For me, it looks like being successful in the most important areas of my life instead of constantly feeling like I'm failing at all the things that matter most to me. It feels like I have time to spare instead of never having enough time in the day. It feels light, full of love and happiness. That's the kind of life I want. How about you?

Now, how do we get there? How do we make that hope, that dream, a reality for ourselves? I'm not going to lie and tell you that it's a walk in the park (although a walk in the park is always nice) but I will tell you that it's possible. There is a way to achieve that life of simple harmony and peace.

1 | Put God first.

First thing's first. We are so often, myself included, guilty of fitting God in when we can instead of making Him a true priority. But, things really begin to shift and change when we place God in His rightful place: #1. I don't know about you but I have felt God speak to my heart over and over telling me that while being a Martha is not bad, he really wants me to be a Mary first and foremost. If you don't know what I'm talking about, there is a passage in the Bible about two sisters, Mary & Martha. Luke 10:38-42, tells us that Martha is busy in the kitchen preparing a meal for Jesus. What she's doing is wonderful. But finally, Martha becomes frustrated because she's doing all the work while Mary is sitting and listening to Jesus speak. So, Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her. He kindly replies that "Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her." I have to remind myself constantly of this passage because it's so easy to get caught up in my to-do list that I don't prioritize spending time with God the way I should.

2 | Get rid of clutter in your life.

This may seem a bit off the wall but having clutter in your physical space clutters the mind. You won't even realize how much clutter bogs you down until it's gone. Don't believe me? An article in Pschology Today states that "cognitive science confirms what our own life experiences tell us—getting rid of the extra stuff around us boosts our mental health and wellbeing. It’s mentally exhausting for us to see clutter, so clutter makes us tense." I used the KonMari Method to declutter my home and the impact was astounding. I wrote about my experience using the KonMarie Method the 5 mistakes I made along the way and what I learned through the process. But, any method that you choose to declutter will help!

3 | Practice meditation.

I've been practicing the Inner Sound Meditation technique and it does wonders for me. Practicing meditation has helped me be much less reactive to situations. Instead, I have been able to keep my peace when I would have normally been frustrated. I genuinely cannot say enough about the impact that meditation has had in my life. It doesn't much matter what meditation technique you use as long as it works for you. Meditating has the ability to clear the mind, renew our energies and connect us God's wisdom in the silence. I have heard that Transcendental Meditation is similar to Inner Sound. I definitely recommend doing some research and trying different techniques until you find one that works for you.

4 | Keep a positive mindset.

Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes people step on our toes, hurt our feelings or genuinely do something wrong but if we remember that we are all human and we all make mistakes, it makes it so much easier to not take things personally. Most people are too preoccupied with themselves to intentionally try to upset us so don't sweat the small stuff. It's a major time-killer! Instead of getting hung up on what others have done to us, let's focus our energies on being thankful for all our blessings. Let's be grateful to the people in our lives who help and support us. Having a positive mindset is half the battle to being our best selves.

5 | Be one with your word.

The Bible tells us that we shouldn't swear any oaths. Instead, Matthew 5:37 says, " All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." This is an indication that a person's word is as good as an oath and nothing more is needed. I feel like we've lost the tradition of keeping our word. When we talk about integrity, most people think of ethics, doing the right thing every time and sure, that's a part of it. But, a Harvard paper, "Integrity: Without It Nothing Works" was published with a different idea of integrity. Michael C. Jensen's view of integrity is being one with your word. If you say, I will wake up at 5 AM to pray and meditate, do it. If you say you need to be in bed by 10 PM, do it. If you say you will bake cookies for your child's bake sale, do it. If you say you will complete a project by a certain date, do it. Being a person of integrity even increases productivity because it makes procrastination a little harder.

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