To
a large degree, personal balance is strictly a matter
of choice. Although people who live balanced lives
certainly plan for the future, they tend to live in
the here and now.
People
with balanced lives tend to keep things simple. They
distill their dreams to a handful of goals and they
frequently evaluate their activities to ensure that
they’re on course. They are clear about what matters
most. Rather than prioritize their schedules, they
schedule their priorities.
People
with balanced lives are good at managing their emotions.
One man described this as “unloading the cannon.”
Some days it seems like the world is against you.
Nothing goes right. It’s during times like this that
some people “load the cannon” and wait for someone
else to “strike the match.” This is stressful and
destructive behavior. Smart people maintain a sense
of calm during the inevitable storms of daily living.
We
can learn from the archer. He stretches his bow to
its full strength only at the moment he needs it.
To do otherwise is to waste the energy and power required
to reach his target.
Why?
Because if it’s left tight too long, an archery bow
loses its strength and resilience and becomes useless.
The same principle applies to humans. Some people
are so high strung that they exhaust themselves just
from being constantly “up tight.” Truly powerful people
tend to be relatively calm. They visualize what they
want to accomplish, sometimes in vivid detail. They
plan and organize. They marshal their resources. Then,
when the timing is right, they figuratively pull back
their bow to its appropriate tautness and aim for
the target.
By
maintaining this balance, by reserving their “power”
for those discreet moments when it’s needed, their
influence actually increases.
People
with balanced lives tend to be good humored. They
are especially good about laughing at themselves.
They enjoy a sense of perspective. Any time you get
discouraged, just think about Noah. He preached the
gospel for nearly a thousand years, then the Lord
drowned all his investigators.
People
with balanced lives enjoy the journey. They avoid
getting overwhelmed with the “doing” of their lives
because they invest significant time in the “being”
part of life. In today’s world, nearly everything
around us seems accelerated. In our effort to cram
more and more life into the 1,440 minutes that make
up each day, we risk losing out on the whole point
of life. Slow down. Enjoy the journey.
People
with balance make God their partner. They realize
that no matter how capable they are, no matter how
smart, no matter how well trained, no matter how experienced
and seasoned, they can never do it all alone. Most
importantly, they readily acknowledge that all their
blessings and gifts come from a loving Heavenly Father
who wants them to find their way back home.
Make
no mistake. Great leaders are very busy with the tasks
of their stewardships. They also invest plenty of
deliberate energy in self-renewal. With their batteries
charged, they are better able to accomplish the work
to which they have been called.
Quotes Worth Remembering
…
peace of mind which can be [yours] with the proper
balance between the spiritual and the secular. – Ezra
Taft Benson
…
we do need to strike a spiritual balance in our lives
where spiritual senses and sensitivity come first.
– Spencer J. Condie
As
he pondered the assignment, he saw as in a panorama
the things that contribute to permanent human joy…
He (Joseph Smith) saw among these factors lying deep
in man's earthly and heavenly needs: economic sufficiency,
bodily health, social contentment, educational development,
joyous family life, emotional satisfactions, and an
understandable spiritual program, to hold all else
together… – John A. Widstoe
Rather
than try to see through people we should try to see
people through. – Wendall Ashton
We're
not trying to balance reading the scriptures against
making a casserole for the ward dinner, or visiting
teaching against serving on a PTA committee, or earning
money to keep a missionary son or daughter in the
field against writing a family history. We're not
trying to balance the Savior or our spiritual life
against any other aspect of our life. The Savior is
the fulcrum of the balance, the pivot point of the
balance, the trunk and roots of the tree that keep
the branches in balance. We're trying to keep this
feeling about the Savior sweet and strong, because
then, questions of priorities and how to spend our
time will be easy and clear. – Chieko N. Okazaki
Note:
The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted
on Meridian are only a fraction of the contents of
this 349-page book. To learn more about this ground-breaking
book and to order copies, click
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