We often discuss "balance" as if it is something to achieve, like reaching the top of the mountain. I have long thought of balance in this manner, like a see-saw, or yin-yang, this constant juxtaposition between two different states and somewhere in between you feel a piece of balance. Recently I realized that thinking of balance in this manner was not helping me because it meant that I was constantly putting energy in to bring balance in, adding whatever is opposite to return myself to that middle ground. I should say that this isn't necessarily a bad way to look at things, at least we are working to get back to that middle ground and sometimes we just cannot help but be brought away from the middle ground. BUT, on a day-to-day basis I think we need to get away from the seesaw. Balance is synonymous with peace and harmony, which are both states of being. Imagine for a moment that your life isn't harshly divided between black and white, yin and yang, but is a swirling blend of the two. Regardless of the level of activity within yourself, it is permanently streaked with peace and harmony. A rough week requires some nourishment to balance things out, but ultimately what is best is to strive to not have a rough week. While a return to balance requires action, living balance is more a shift in perspective. I often think of people who live insane lives then go to yoga to "restore balance," then curse their way through traffic the entire way home. That is the seesaw. That is only putting your body through greater stress. We shouldn't have to do yoga or meditate in order to maintain sanity!

Peace and harmony do not necessarily denote, "easy going," though. On the contrary, we define peace and harmony on our own terms. I have loads of physical energy thus my definition of a peaceful state is much different than another person's definition. Living a balanced life is more living a life that nourishes each individual's peace. The key is "living a life." I did not say "doing activities" that nourish peace, that brings us back to the seesaw.

So the big question is: does your general life (not the random events, but the 90% of the time) nourish your definition of peace? Before you answer that question, you might want to sit down and write out what peace/harmony/balance mean to you. What is the picture that pops into your head when you imagine it? The next question to go through is, what is in the way of you feeling balanced? Is it your attitude/perspective (mental state) or is it your lifestyle (physical state)? Remember that it is possible to change the mental state, and if the mental state cannot be further changed then it is time to change the physical state. What are you willing to do to create a balanced life? 

In my mind, living a balanced life is going with the flow, my flow. This means that I don't have to think too hard or try too hard. Thinking/trying too hard is not so much that I don't put effort in, as much as it is saying that I don't exhaust myself while putting the effort in. Think of a project that was challenging but greatly rewarding, you likely put in a lot of effort, but you felt amazing while doing so. That's how life should be. When you feel exhausted it is the result of going against your natural flow, this is representative of being out of alignment with your higher path in life. I think we could all benefit from not trying so damn hard all the time to make life work, because deep down we all know that life works best when we let it flow. Where can you gain from a little bit of surrender in your life? Until it become clear what you should be doing, stop fighting so damn hard and just surrender. That surrender will support mental peace, the mental peace will eventually give way for physical peace to come over the body and guide you forward. This isn't perfection, this is balance.

 I play. I mix and match. I blend. I am a firm believer that one of the keys to success is to be fluid, to be light, to be playful. If you think that there is a single key for the door of life then you are going to be disappointed. I have never related to one and only one thing in my life. In school I floated between between groups, never linked to one group over another. I'm just me, that's all, and some days I relate to one group of individuals more than another. When studying nutrition I enjoyed and appreciated every diet, hating the idea of being labeled as one thing over another. The one thing that friends can always count on with me is that I will always change. Everything I have done in my life has mirrored my childhood habit, and although I am a very loyal individual that loyalty will never trump what I believe to serve best. 

This is especially applicable to my spiritual growth and career. I am a firm believer that no path of spirituality or self help has the perfect answer for every problem (unless it is telling you that there is no perfect answer!). It is about waking up every day, understanding how you are doing and where you are at with your life then picking and choosing the habits and routines that will best serve you. You will not be the same person forever, your body will not be the same body forever, therefor your habits must adjust accordingly. It is when we pigeon-hole ourselves into one particular way of doing and viewing things that we run the risk of getting spiritually stuck. 

I was working with a client today and the topic of "Humility" came up, and how powerful humility is! It is one of the greatest rivals to the ego. Humility is ready and willing to be proven wrong, which is the ego's worst nightmare. Humility teaches us to be surprised by everything in life, because the more we remember our ignorance the more we are able to learn. Humility reminds us to stay curious and keep exploring. Just when we think we know everything Humility reminds us that we have so much left to learn. You might have "the best recipe" for living, eating, praying, meditating, exercising, etc. but at some point I promise there will be something that serves you better.

What is the best spiritual practice? The one that serves you best, today. So the best that we can all do for ourselves is to keep learning, keep exploring so that you always know that there is something else that might be better for you. The wise are those who know that there is so much left to learn. You can never be too well-rounded. So play. Be fluid. Learn something new, love it, use it until it's dead, then find something else to learn. Eventually you will have a cook-book for life full of recipes to cure every ailment and celebrate every success.

Shine, not for anyone else, not because of anything else. Just shine. I read a wonderfully inspiring post by Chani Nicholas this morning, not long after I had a wonderfully eye opening conversation with my dear friend (and powerfully gifted intuitive) Kathleen Stone. It all came together for me. Shine. Just because it is our birthright. Shine, just because it is who we are and we have every right to express yourself.

I believe that we all too often get caught up in shining because we want to attract the right attention, we want to achieve certain things, we want to be better and do more. We lose track of what is shining and why we are shining in the first place. Our shine is the natural essence of all the magnificence that we are. This isn't something we need to try at, I will even go so far as to say that this is something that we should never try at. The sooner we can allow ourselves to simply be, the more incredibly we will shine. 

Imagine what would happen if we all shined, just for the sake of shining, because it felt good to be ourselves. So much of the bullshit and the anxiety and the facade would be dropped to reveal what we truly are, and what we truly are is so much more powerful than we can ever imagine. It is when we try to be powerful that the power is diminished, because it is no longer honest and 100% ours. When we create our power with the intention of impressing then the power is not true. When we are our power, with no intention other than simply being, then the power is undeniably indefinite. 

Who would you be if you simply allow yourself to be? Tune into this. Your purpose for living is being highlighted this week with Tuesday's new moon and it is important to be present, to reconnect with what it means to shine. You know what it means to radiate, you also know how good that feels. You know how easy it is to feel amazing regardless of others opinions when you are radiating with Self Power. You were born for no other reason than to be you, on this incredible planet, living your life, doing your thing, shining brightly, experiencing, growing, evolving and all the while sharing with others the gifts that you possess. Your reason for being here is to be you, while performing all of the actions and duties that come to us as humans. But at the heart of those duties and roles is always you, which is makes it unique. It doesn't matter what role you choose, when you shine brightly, and honestly that role is transformed into a conduit of power to transform. 

So whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you do, shine brightly.

Want to learn how to connect with your shining gifts and powers? Check out my Readings for the Soul, both the Soul Profile and Higher Purpose reading will help you walk more powerfully down your path.

Want to learn more about my friend, Kathleen Stone? Check out her website here for information on her work or to sign up for a reading

I love Chani Nicholas' weekly readings, check out the article that inspired this blog here