HOW I AM AIMING FOR BALANCE IN MY LIFE

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The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you have lost it. - Anonymous

Taken on the beach at Strathlene, Buckie Scotland.

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with iPhone 8 Plus

1. What is balance?
2. How do you keep it?
3. How do you know when you have lost it?
4. How do you regain your balance?

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What is balance? According to the Collins English dictionary:

Balance is a situation in which all the different parts are equal in strength or importance

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How do you keep it? You can keep your balance by creating a daily or weekly schedule which incorporates all the important components of your daily living, and by sticking to that schedule. Balance may mean different things to different people, and all things may not have equal weight in importance at all times. For example, if you have a work deadline, perhaps you will focus on your work until the deadline is reached. Likewise if you have a sick child in the household, perhaps all your focus will be on that little one for a time. For the most part though, we need to learn to schedule things so that all things of importance are accounted for. We need to make sure that no one area overpowers the others.

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How do you know when you have lost it? You know you have lost balance when you realize that you are paying far too much attention to one area of your life to the detriment of other areas. Steemit had become for me an all consuming passion. I spent far too much time writing blogs, preparing images for Steemit, reading loads of blogs, and overextending myself on Discord channels! When I wrote down all the areas of my life that needed attention, I was blown away by my lack of balance

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How do you regain your balance? A good way to regain balance is to take time out and regroup like I did this summer. Back in June I quit writing blogs on Steemit with the promise that I would be back in September fully refreshed and in balance. I did pop in now and again to make a comment here and there, but avoided the temptation to write.

A careful evaluation of my life in June showed that I had definitely lost balance along the way. So, going forward I have made a commitment to myself to balance the following areas in my life, and this summer's break has helped me to put everything in perspective.

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Work

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with iPhone 8 Plus
Although I am semi retired, I still have commitments to the following agencies:
Getty, Alamy, Istock, Shutterstock, Adobe Fotolia, Depositphotos and Dreamstime. I also sell artwork on Fineartamerica, Redbubble, Zazzle and Spoonflower. Not only do I have to create the images, I have to edit them and prepare them for the agencies, adding titles, descriptions and keywords (quite a daunting task, as each agency handles keywords differently.) Images taken during travel have to be researched for accurate information. Images then have to be uploaded to the various sites.

Because my photography is a business, I have to keep accurate records of all income and expenses.

Then of course, there are all the household chores like cleaning, gardening, doing the laundry, balancing the checkbook and grocery shopping etc.

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Relationships

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with Canon EOS 5D Mark II
My stock image may be licensed from Getty Images here
Sometimes I feel rather isolated from family, as my husband is the only relative I have close by. My sons are in Atlanta, Georgia and Budapest, Hungary. My Dad and siblings with their families are in Scotland, with the exception of a niece and her family who live 3 hours away in Orlando. This summer I was able to spend lots of quality time with my husband and my family in Scotland. Friendship too is important, so I made it a point to reconnect with as many old friends as possible. Here in Florida I plan to make more time for lunches and get-togethers with friends, and to spend more time just hanging out with my husband, spending a little less time on my computer, smartphone and tablet!

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Hobbies

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with Canon EOS 5D Mark II
My stock image may be licensed from Fotolia by Adobe here
I belong to a Sumi-e (Chinese watercolor) painting club which meets monthly. I would like to spend more time between meetings creating some art. Knitting is something I used to enjoy many years ago, and I intend to do a little more of it this coming winter – perhaps knitting scarves to give to the homeless at Christmas. I am a certified bookworm, and have no trouble finding the time to read, so this is a hobby I always make time for!

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Relaxation

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with Canon EOS 5D Mark II
My stock image may be licensed from Getty Images here
This is something I find hard to do. I always feel like I have to be doing something, but this summer I learned to relax a bit more by just sitting and watching the waves crashing on the rocks in my old home town in Scotland. Much as I was tempted to bring my DSLR on every outing, I often left it behind, bringing only my iPhone. I plan to sit more on my patio here in Florida and just listen to the birds sing. I'm a stone's throw away from beautiful sandy beaches, so I'm planning on spending more days just strolling leisurely and watching and listening to the waves and the shorebirds. And when I come home, I'll light a candle and soak in a nice warm bathtub!

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Exercise
Fellow walkers captured during a 7 mile hike in Scotland this summer

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with iPhone 8 Plus
I love to walk, and will often walk to the store from my home, or just take a walk around the neighborhood or on the beach. While in Scotland and Iceland this summer I took a few hikes and walks with my husband and an organized 7 mile hike with my sister's walking club. I have not had a formal plan for walking in a long time, so I have now joined a volkswalking group here in Florida. Our first organized walk Is on September 22nd, and weekly from then on. Cycling is something else I enjoy, but I have not brought my bike out of the garage nearly enough times in past months. That is going to change!

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Spirituality
The cover of an antique Bible photographed at Cluny Auctions, Buckie, Scotland this summer

Image © Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved. Captured with iPhone 8 Plus
This for me means paying more attention to my spiritual life by continuing to read from the Bible daily, by spending more time in prayer for my fellow human beings who may be hurt or suffering and by reading more books about the Christian life. It also means spending time at church and at church gatherings with my fellow Christians. Somehow, when the spiritual side of my life is properly in sync, then everything else seems to follow seamlessly!

So, I have finally returned to posting on Steemit! I will strive to post one quality post a day, but will not be spending the same amount of time here as I did previously. I missed you all and look forward to communicating with you in the days and weeks ahead!

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The challenge of work-life balance is without question one of the most significant struggles faced by modern man. Stephen Covey

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