Balance (Life)

Balance is not an easy thing to achieve, because life can be complicated. Is there a possibility that your life is not balanced because you’re allowing other people to control your life? You might just be on automatic pilot and you’ll never get a chance to do the things you want to do—that means you don’t have a life!

In this program I want to give you the focus you need to make it easier to have balance in your life, so that you can then make good decisions and have the time to do a lot of different things.

So, what does having balance actually entail?

• God. For me, I’m not talking about anybody else, God has given me a sense of peace. I wasn’t always this way, but one day, when I was down and out, I realized, you know what? I can’t do this by myself. And now I give it up to God.
• Family. I’ve always done everything for my family. Family is important to me and I love to spend time with them, and I love to travel with my kids. I have to work to make money, but I’ve always made time for my family.
• Personal. You need to have time for yourself, by yourself. You need to have a life, you need to have a hobby, something that you’re excited about, and that also includes time for your family. It’s a big balancing act.
• Work. I work hard, I work smart, I focus, and I delegate so that work is not overwhelming for me. But there were times when I worked 7 days a week, 16 to 18 hours a day—for years, because I had to.
  

Balancing your life doesn’t mean that it’s all fun. As you work towards achieving balance, you’ll find there will be times when it’s not fun. But keep in mind, at that moment, it’s just what you have to do.

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One of my students, Rex, thanked me for wearing my heart on my sleeve. He wished he had someone to give him advice before it was too late. Rex put his job before his family and lost them. “Don’t put your job first,” he warns, “You can look in any paper and find a job, but families don’t run ads in the paper for a good husband and a father.”

I understand how hard it can be. I remember when I had 7 kids at home, and I had a foreclosure notice on my garage door. I had to sacrifice spending time with them at Christmas because I had to finish my first book. It was something I had to do because I had no paycheck, no money, and had borrowed everything I could. There are times when balancing your life to include your family can be very difficult. You have to do what you have to do at that time, but do not lose sight of the bigger picture.
—Mike Holt

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