This is From The Balance Beam

[TheBalanceBeam] - Balance and Emptiness

======================================================================
THE BALANCE BEAM
Ideas and Inspiration for Creating a Life that Works
Vol. 1 No. 5 October 15, 1999
Published by Success Builders, Inc.
http://www.SuccessBuildersInc.com
======================================================================
"He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened."
Lao-tzu

In this issue: BALANCE AND EMPTINESS
====================================================================== Dear Friends,
This issue is our fourth installment in a series exploring the circumstances and conditions that can lead an individual to being out of balance. This week, we take a look at how feelings of emptiness can contribute to an unbalanced lifestyle. If you missed any of the earlier editions in this series, you can easily retrieve them at the archives on my website. Visit http://www.successbuildersinc.com/newsletter.html, and you will be taken directly to the site location for The Balance Beam. If you are not yet a regular subscriber, you can also enter your subscription information at this location.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Topic: BALANCE AND EMPTINESS

Susan is a 45-year old human resources executive for a Fortune 500 company. She has been with her current employer for fourteen years, and has successfully climbed the career ladder. Her first promotion was from Regional HR Manager to District Director in 1992. Three years ago, she was named Corporate Vice President for Human Resources.

Although her job requires significant travel as well as the 60-hour plus workweeks she routinely puts in, Susan doesn't mind the demands on her time. A little over a year ago, she was divorced from her second husband, so she's free to devote as much time to her work as she wants to. Because she has always seen herself as first and foremost a career woman, she made the decision early on not to have children, so there are no obligations involving child rearing. She did have a small dog for a couple of years, but her ex-husband took it with him when they split, so she doesn't have to get home to feed Fido. Even the plants in her apartment are made out of silk, so that they won't require watering and tending.

Susan's family is small. Her father passed away several years ago, and her mother, who lives in another state, stays busy with her neighbor friends and church activities. She and Susan rarely see each other. Susan's sister and only sibling married an international banker several years ago, and they live in London. Other than brief phone calls around birthdays and holidays, they have little contact with one another.

Susan likes to tell people that she's footloose and fancy-free. Hers is the perfect situation for an executive woman, because she doesn't have a lot of obligations in her life. What she doesn't like to tell people, and resists acknowledging to herself, is that a big part of why she works so much is that it's the only thing in her life. Susan has a bad case of "emptiness". She is using work to fill the voids in her life, and is seriously out of balance as a result. It's not that she's truly that passionate about her job; it's simply that being busy feels better than the loneliness she experiences when she's not working.

Could emptiness be contributing to a lack of balance in your life? Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What does the "balance wheel" in your life look like? If your life were a pie, would your job consistently be the largest piece? What do the other pieces consist of? Where do they stand in terms of both quantity and quality of your time and attention?

2. Who is in your community? A healthy personal community consists of a generous complement of friends, family, colleagues, (and maybe a personal coach!) who share your life and provide you with support and connection.

3. When you are quiet and still, and look inward, into that very personal place that is yours and yours alone, what does your inner self tell you about what's present and what's missing in your life?

Coaching Tip: Regardless of how much you enjoy your job and professional endeavors, recognize that a balanced life consists of sufficient quality time allocated to friends, family, personal development, leisure and entertainment, spiritual growth, health and fitness, care for your environment, and management of personal financial responsibilities. If any of these areas are feeling empty for you, be willing to consider the possibility that work is serving as an "anesthetic" in your life. Focus on rounding out your life so that it is full and rich and multidimensional.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words to live by: "Be really whole, and all things will come to you."
- Lao-Tzu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming Up: For those of you in the Greenville (SC, USA) area: I will be joining with Fellow Coach Brad Swift to offer a live, 4-session coaching series entitled "Money and Meaning" during the month of November at Natural Elements in Greenville, SC. This series is devoted to "exploring and freeing ourselves from the money myths and fantasies that grip and control our lives." You are invited to come and re-invent your relationship with money in this stimulating 8-hour program! Please call (864) 268-5386 or (888) 279-4316 toll-free for details and registration information.

For those of you outside of the Greenville area, be on the lookout for this program to be delivered via teleclass. Connect from anywhere to join in! Further details coming soon…