2012 is here, and I promised myself a theme word for the new year. This was harder than I thought it would be.
I used to raise tropical fish and kept several aquariums at one time. I recall how important it was to maintain the pH balance of the water, always testing the conditions to monitor acidic vs alkaline levels. When my fish tank was out of balance, the water sometimes was murky and my angel fish started swimming sideways. Like the fish tanks, my life needs balance as well. Balance is actually a way of life. It is finding an even position so you don’t need a matchbook under a wobbly leg, because at the root of every balance problem is a lack of stability. Every wobbly table has a leg that is in trouble. In order to bring more balance in you need to take out what unbalances your life. That includes people, projects, and duties that waste your time or drain your energies. Sound harsh? Not really, it’s true. You also need to bring in what is missing, like people, projects, recreation, calmness or God, to replace what you have eliminated or what is missing.
I like the concept of the 4-fold person: one who balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components of her life. Does this mean then, that BALANCE will be my word for 2012? No. Achieving balance in my life is really about change, and I don’t mean the stuff that Chris has jingling in his side pocket. CHANGE is tough, especially when it means throwing out old habits and adopting new ones, and to gain balance, I will need to change some things for sure. So is CHANGE my 2012 word? I don’t think so.
We all have the potential to change; I know I do. Potential defines who we are, and what we can excel at. So the question becomes 3 fold – do I have the potential to make the changes that will bring about balance? My answer is yes; but only if I am PROACTIVE - only if I take the action to effectuate the change; only if I take control of situations by causing something positive to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens. Being PROACTIVE in 2012 is the key, but before anything else I need to make the COMMITMENT to want to create the balance I need. I must be Proactive and make a Commitment to create the Changes I need to achieve Balance. So it seem I have more than one word for 2012 doesn't it?
