9 Medicines to Take for Balance : Liz Jansen

Learning to achieve balance in your life is every bit as important as learning to balance a motorcycle. As you journey through life, you gather tools to help you do your own work. These are your medicines with which you serve your purpose – the gifts, attributes, knowledge and skills you accumulate. Some you’re born with a natural propensity for and develop throughout life; others are more difficult and take more work. Both are honed through continuous learning. After all, you can’t give what you don’t have yourself, especially given the experiential nature of this wisdom.

By helping you learn the lessons from your experiences so you don’t have to keep repeating them, your medicines help you heal energetically, emotionally and physically. They allow you to change how you live and die.

9 Medicines to Take for Balance

Personal vision. Focusing on your own personal vision sounds fundamental and it is. But it’s often forgotten and you end up trying to be everything to everyone. That doesn’t work. Having a clear direction in mind does. Only then can you take the next steps to get there.

Appropriate skills. Physical, mental and emotional acuity are all required to maintain balance. On a motorcycle, understanding how to use the controls means knowing what they are, where they’re located, how they affect handling and what effect your choices will have. On your personal path, meditating, journaling and most importantly, listening to your intuition, serve as your best guides. Your choices determine whether you stay on your intended path.

Focus. Where you focus is where you’ll go. It’s your choice. There are always going to be distractions and fear is always going to rear its head. Target fixation – i.e. focusing on them, is a real danger because it will draw you into trouble. While you definitely need to acknowledge their roles and scan your road for hazards, you’ll stay balanced only by staying focused on where you want to go.

Calm. When you’re relaxed, you’re much more alert, aware and better able to handle what life delivers. Release negative thinking, avoid overanalyzing and enjoy the scenery.

Evenness. Distribute your load evenly and stay centered. Not only does this refer to what you take on but how much burden you carry and where you carry it. Nurturing body, mind and spirit equally is essential for your total wellbeing. Take on only what is yours and let others do the same.

Momentum. It’s easy to stay balanced when everything is moving along, just as you planned. However, life doesn’t stick to your plan and challenges appear on your Road. Letting them stop you puts you at higher risk of getting mired down and stuck in whatever is in your way.

Humility. Experts are standing by to help! The Universe always provides the resources you need when you need them. Often all it takes is a request for help. You’ll be surprised at what materializes.

Assertiveness. If all of the above haven’t worked, you may need to stop and put your foot down. Temporarily backing away from a situation may be the only way to gain clarity and decide what action to take to restore balance.

Practice. I believe that you’re here on Earth School to learn certain lessons, and as long as you’re here, school’s in session. When your lessons are over, it’s time to go. While you’re in school, the only way to become more proficient is to practice what you’re taught.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Lying on the ground feeling sorry for yourself after you’ve dropped your motorcycle doesn’t move you ahead or teach you the lesson. Learn from your mistakes, get back on and do it right. Or at least better.

Photo Credit: Henrik Johansson via Flickr