Leah: this whole concept that people love to throw around of like balance doesn’t exist. And I’m like, seriously, stop telling people that it is so discouraging and disheartening. And the thing is, is balance absolutely exists. It’s absolutely real. It is not a myth. I don’t care what they all say.

. . Welcome to another episode of the Balancing Busy podcast. If this is your first time, well then welcome to [00:01:00] your first episode. And I hope it is definitely not the last. Today I wanted to talk about how we stay balanced and not lose it. I was having a conversation with my sister, which happens every single day, usually several times a day.

Leah: And she made this passing comment about Things working so well and not changing them. And it just hit me so hard and I immediately knew I wanted to talk with you about this because so often we are feeling really good. Things are happening. We’ve got some really good rhythms, uh, or systems. We’ve got some great things in place where dinners are happening and business is going well and we’re feeling great about our health.

Leah: And then we go and we mess it all up by changing things. And I was thinking about that because while I’m saying, in [00:02:00] one space, if you want to stay balanced, then keep doing the things that you’re doing and that are working. On the other side of that pendulum is the fact that Seasons come and go. Things change all the time.

Leah: So the honest truth is you are gonna maybe feel really in balance, everything’s going really great, and then it’s a new season. The kids are home from break. You’re starting a new job, or your spouse is starting a new job or whatever it might be like something is going to change. And you’re going to have to adjust.

Leah: And that’s a big part of balance. And I think that’s where, you know, this whole concept that people love to throw around of like balance doesn’t exist. And I’m like, seriously, stop telling people that it is so discouraging and disheartening. I remember hearing that when I was in my overwhelmed, burned out, just holding on by a thread stage.

Leah: It was like 10 years ago, and I remember hearing that and just being [00:03:00] so deflated, like, really? It doesn’t get better than this? This is as good as it gets? I am doomed. That’s just how I felt. And the thing is, is balance absolutely exists. It’s absolutely real. It is not a myth. I don’t care what they all say.

Leah: I am here to tell you I have found it. I have helped hundreds of clients find it. It exists. Okay, so now that we, now that we can feel good about that, why does it exist? It exists because balance isn’t rigid. It can’t be rigid. Balance is ever moving. It’s flowing. That’s why I like to think about it like a bicycle.

Leah: If I’m on a bicycle, If I try to hold still, if I try to hold perfectly still and be super rigid, I’m going to fall over. I have to be constantly adjusting and moving and adapting because maybe I’m going up the hill, maybe I’m going down the hill, right? Like, that’s, that’s real balance. And let’s get, let’s take this a little deeper and say, well, what does [00:04:00] balance feel like?

Leah: Because I’m very much about feelings. I’m learning the older I get, the longer I’ve been in business, that I care less and less about what I’m doing, what I’ve done, what I want to accomplish and more and more about how I feel and who I am. Right? So more and more now I’m like, no, I want to focus on how I feel.

Leah: Do I feel good? Do I feel happy? Do I feel balanced? And who am I? Like, am I, Becoming someone that I can be so proud of. So instead of thinking about, like, to do lists, I’ve been thinking for the last several years much more about to be lists. And like, these are the things I want to be, instead of these are the things I want to do.

Leah: Okay, going back to this whole staying in balance. So, So, you’re going to find things that work for you, and then the real trick is [00:05:00] to not screw it up. I’m laughing at my own jokes. Okay. But I’m thinking about how So, so often I screw it up myself because I then allow too many things to step in. I’m going to give you an example of this very week.

Leah: So this week I’m recording this is the week after Thanksgiving. And we’ve been out of town, just got back. There’s tons of catch up work I need to do. We’re hosting a party this week. There’s so much to get done. It’s an ugly sweater party and we go. All out. In fact, in the show notes, I’ll show you our ugly, I’m like using air quotes, uh, sweater because I literally made gingerbread houses for us to wear.

Leah: It was so cool. I’m not even gonna lie. I was so proud of it. Anyways, I’ll put those in the show notes, that picture, so you can see it. But we have a lot going on this week and I happened to have two Back to back [00:06:00] interviews scheduled one for me on someone else’s podcast, and then one for someone on my podcast.

Leah: And I was really feeling overwhelmed with all the things on my plate. And I had this thought of like, Oh, I wish I could just do it next week. Next week, I’m wide open. It would be so much easier. And then the thought came in, Oh, I don’t want to be unprofessional. I don’t want to be irresponsible. I don’t know why that would be irresponsible, but these were the thoughts that came into my mind.

Leah: And then I paused and I’m like, hold on, you are getting stressed. You’re feeling overwhelmed. And you can alleviate that by just sending a message and seeing if it’s okay to reschedule. If it’s not, no problem. I’ve got the time clear to, I can make it happen. So I sent this message and was like, Hey, just wondering if you might be able to reschedule.

Leah: I’m really behind this week and I really want to give the full attention and focus. And she. [00:07:00] immediately and is like, Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I have been feeling the same way and even thought about reaching out to you. And I’m just sitting there going, gosh, I’m so grateful that I reached out because there was two of us feeling a little overwhelmed, a little behind, and that freed up two hours of Relief where I can focus on more pressing stuff that needs to happen.

Leah: Another thing that I managed to do to myself this week is that I scheduled a appointment, like one of my, you know, like beauty grooming appointments, um, for Thursday and we’re hosting this party and the timing is terrible and I’m looking at my schedule for the week and I’m like, why did I schedule it?

Leah: And I remember why I scheduled it because at the time I was feeling really pressing like, Oh my gosh, it’s been really long. I need to go. So, go take care of this. And this week, as I’m now feeling something different. [00:08:00] Last week when I scheduled it, I was feeling the pressure of, oh my gosh, I should have already done this by now.

Leah: This week, I’m feeling that pressure of, there’s so much to do in this week. And now, I don’t feel the urgency anymore. Now I’m like, I have no problem putting it off one more week. So that’s what I did. I rescheduled the appointment for next week. So when I’m saying, how do we stay balanced? By not getting in our own way, I’m talking about when we have a good thing going, when we’re feeling good, and then we go mess it all up by overscheduling ourselves, saying yes to too many things, or the flip side of this is we’re feeling really good because we’re prioritizing our health, we’re prioritizing the things that matter most in our family and in our business, and then we allow distractions to come in.

Leah: That is the reality. Number one enemy to balance, it’s got to be distraction, right? Like that has to be it. Distraction is the number one enemy to balance. Okay. Maybe that and saying [00:09:00] yes too much, but I feel good about a lot of my yeses. I’m, I’m not upset about a lot of my yeses. So I don’t even know if I can go all the way in that direction.

Leah: I’m feeling grateful that I’m learning and recognizing when I’ve said yes. at a wrong time like this week and I rescheduled. But ultimately, distraction is one of the biggest hindrances of balance because so much of our day and of our time gets sucked into pure distraction. I don’t even know need to go into that.

Leah: I have So many episodes about our phones and social media and all the distractions that that causes, but you know what I’m talking about by not allowing those distractions into my life, at least minimizing them dramatically. I mean, every once in a while I get on and I do a scroll just like everybody else, but it’s very rare.

Leah: And there’s a reason for that because there’s so much good stuff I want to [00:10:00] do. And I love. feeling good. I love feeling balanced. And I understand that a huge part of that is that I’m very intentional with how I spend my time. I’m thinking about my early morning workouts. I’ve been really, really consistently working out for months and months, and it feels so good.

Leah: And I’m one of those people who I have worked out Semi regularly for a decade, right? For, for a long, long time now. But I do the thing where I’m doing all or nothing. Then if I can’t do all, all of a sudden I fall off for weeks or months or who knows what. And then I’m working to get back on. And I have been super, super consistent for, I don’t, I guess I don’t know how long.

Leah: Maybe, um, ten months. And part of that is, just sheer discipline, right? Like it doesn’t matter if I don’t feel like it. I know that what I ultimately want means I show up anyways, even when I don’t [00:11:00] feel like it. Another part of it is that I just get up early to do it, to make it happen. You know, I work out really early so that I can get everything else into the day.

Leah: If I’m letting myself wake up whenever I want and then I’m like, Oh shoot, I forgot about this and that. Where do I fit that in? I guess I don’t. Well, it’s pretty clear I’m not going to get great results. So, okay, let’s bring this all back. When we’re talking about staying balanced, we need to be very cognizant of the things that we are doing that are working and keep doing those things.

Leah: And even catch when we start interjecting things that aren’t going to work, that they’re going to. block balance and readjust. I did that this week. And I’m so proud of myself. Like I feel so much lighter and better because I rescheduled these two things. [00:12:00] And now it’s like, Oh, okay. I have breathing room.

Leah: I’m doing certain things in my life that feel really good, that help things to happen. In a way that allows me to feel like, Oh, life feels good. I feel good. And again, that’s part of staying balanced. So we talk a lot about how to get back into balance and how to overcome, overwhelm or burnout or, you know, all these different things.

Leah: Right. But I thought it would be fun to just make a shift and say, okay, but how do we stay balanced? Stay balanced and not lose it again and again and again. Now, as I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, there are of course times where we have to shift and pivot because something has completely changed.

Leah: That’s going to happen over and over again, but it doesn’t have to turn us topsy turvy. It doesn’t have to throw everything off. It might actually. For a microsecond as you readjust, if we [00:13:00] become more and more aware of what works for us, what are those things that make us feel the best? And then we prioritize those and we keep those as, yeah, just high priorities.

Leah: Then even as we’re transitioning, even as we’re pivoting through the different stages of life, we can stay balanced or maybe we teeter for a second. But again, that whole bicycle analogy, it’s like you You, you re find your balance and you keep pedaling. You keep going. So there you go. There are some ideas and thoughts.

Leah: This is just, I’m literally sitting here with my tea. I’m obsessed with this tea. And Now I’m blanking on what it’s called, so I can’t tell you, but it’s so yummy. What is it called? There’s a bear on the box. I can’t think of what it’s called right now. Anyways, it is delicious. I put lemon and honey in it and it’s just like this spiced yumminess.

Leah: It’s so good. So I’m drinking my tea. Thinking about [00:14:00] staying balanced, chatting with you, and just wanting you to know that balance isn’t something that needs to be super elusive and you hold on to it for like a split second and then you let go of it again. This isn’t bubbles, okay? They don’t pop instantly the second you try to touch it.

Leah: Balance is a real, tangible feeling that you can have day in, day out, month after month, year after year, even as life gives the ups and downs. Because if we’re ready to adjust as we need to, but also to just be aware of the things that help us feel great and do more of that, and the things that keep us moving forward.

Leah: In moments of overwhelm, like overscheduling, and then be willing to even reschedule, adjust, those, those simple steps. can make all the difference for helping you to not only get into balance, but [00:15:00] stay balanced. All right, that’s it for this episode. I hope that was helpful. I would love to hear how you feel like you stay balanced.

Leah: Like what, two things I would love to know. Number one, what are the things that you found mean the most to you? Like when I have this going, I feel balanced. What are those things for you? I can tell you, one of mine for sure is a clean house. If my house is clean, I feel like I can conquer anything. If my house is messy, I literally feel like I’m like falling apart.

Leah: I mean, I just, it is crazy how that one thing makes the difference for me with feeling balanced or not. So what’s your thing? What have you found? And then second, Do you have any tips and tricks for how you stay balanced? I’d love to hear them. So if you’re an LR Insider, which I hope you are, then all you have to do is reply to the email that told you this episode was live.

Leah: And if you’re not an LR Insider, you definitely want to become one because A, we have so many amazing resources. I share amazing chat GPT [00:16:00] prompts to simplify and just, you know, Just improve your life.

Leah: I share the weekly podcast episodes. I share so many resources that just take balance and all of these different things to the next level. So just go to balancingbusy. com, pick a freebie and get access to it and then you will be on the insider list. All right. That’s it for today. Thank you so much for being part of the Balancing Busy podcast. Having you here means the world. I hope that this episode has been helpful and that you’ll take this episode and have a conversation with someone about how they stay balanced. Share this episode with them and then talk about it. All right.

Leah: That’s it. See you next week. 

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