Success & Balance

Jennifer N. Price, The Art of Life: Success and Balance, success, Marriage Articles, Marriage Tips, Marriage, International Marriage Interventionist, Marriage Tips, Marriage Help, Marriage Counseling, Therapy, Relationship Expert

What's your definition of success? Is it making a few million annually? Is it creating a healthy and loving marriage? Is it a booming business? Having fame? Lots of close friends? An active social life? Going on adventures? Having perfect health? Maintaining peace? Living with passion or purpose? Success means different things to different people, but one thing is for sure.... to obtain success in life, you must have balance. To do so, we must be healthy and well-cultivated in three areas I call the Triad of Health: Mind, Body, Spirit.

If you look at your life right now and you're not happy, guest what?? You have to take action. You can't be passive, sit back, and wait for good things to happen. If you are that lazy person, you'll get lazy results. Life is like your 401K... if you put little in, you'll get little out, but if you put a lot in, you'll get a lot in return. Get up and take action. You have to change what you're doing if you want a different result. Realize that you are the only problem you will ever have, and you are the only solution.

I have a few simple suggestions that will make a great impact in your Triad. I'll break each down and you'll experience great improvement in all three areas from just a few minor tweaks in your daily routine. Let's dive in...

MIND

Mindset is everything! Mindset is made of two things: your beliefs about what is possible, and the quality of your ideas and strategies. There are two main types of Mindset: Fixed and Growth.

With a Fixed Mindset, you're coming from a place of less knowledge, negativity, less self control (thoughts, emotions, words, action), and more ego. You play victim, often find yourself saying "I can't (fill in the blank), you blame others, take no or little responsibility for mishaps or failures, fight against others that you should be working with, and you find yourself stuck and unable to move forward. You believe basic qualities like intelligence, skills, and talents are simply fixed traits and you don't spend time developing them. You often worry about how adequate you are, feel you have something to prove to yourself and others, and tell yourself you are a victim of life circumstances.

With a Growth Mindset you have more knowledge, experience positivity overall, are in more control (thoughts, emotions, words, actions), and possess humility. You know you are the creator of your circumstances and have the power to change things, and you do. You find a way to make things happen, hold yourself accountable (good and bad), understand team effort and have mastered the art of teamwork, stretch yourself, constantly learn and grow, believe your most basic abilities (intelligence, skills, talents) are just the starting point on which to build your development, have a love of learning, and a resilience that is essential for growth and life success. You create your reality and live in abundance because you know there is always enough. You have a passion for stretching yourself, especially during difficulties... this is the hallmark of the growth mindset and it allows you to thrive during difficult times.

HOW TO DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET:

• Believe in your ability to figure things out and that you can do and be better.

• Focus on giving instead of receiving and you'll immediately become a happier, more content person.

• Question your negative beliefs and assumptions. Take time to understand why you believe certain things and if those beliefs are serving you well or not.

• Ask intelligent questions. (if you ask dumb questions, your brain will give you dumb answers). Instead of asking "why does this always happen to me?", ask.... "How can I benefit from this?", "How can I grow from this?", "What can I learn from this?", "What's humorous in this situation?", and my favorite, "What's the gift in this?"... because there is always a gift.

• Daily Priming - this daily 12 minute meditation puts you in a state of gratitude. Do this for 10 days and watch every area of your life change! I recommend Priming in the morning before you start your day. For Priming, go HERE.

• Daily Journal - write down 3 things you are grateful for each day (they can be the same three you meditated on in your Priming exercise). Have another section in your journal for your wins - document big and small wins/accomplishments. Also dedicate a section to Goals, short term and long term.

• Daily Exercise - see below under 'BODY'.

I'll say it again, Mindset is Everything! Tony Robbins famously says, "Where focus goes, energy flows."

BODY

How you feed and treat your body is a direct reflection of how you feel about yourself - your confidence, self image, and self worth. For a healthy and balanced body, try the following suggestions: • Exercise Daily

• Eat Organic Foods and stay away from processed items

• Drink Filtered Water

• Get plenty of Sleep

• Stay Hydrated with quality water - drink 1/2 your weight in oz. (ex: if you weigh 100lbs, drink 50oz of water daily)

• Live as Toxic Free as possible - be mindful of products (body, cleaning, etc)

SPIRIT

Spirituality means different things to people. It means organized religion for some and prayer for others. What is common amongst all humans, despite our differences in definition of spirituality, is this: we are all called to constantly broaden our consciousness. A person who suffers from materialism will constantly try to improve their outside world instead of looking within. Within materialism, how we think, feel, and behave are dependent on our external world, and our measure of happiness, success, and joy is defined by our physical realm. This is so unhealthy and dangerous.

I am Christian, for anyone who is curious, but I am not here to convince you of any one religion or way of belief, and I do respect all people and beliefs (just want to put that out there). With that being said, I do encourage you to constantly develop your own spirituality - whatever that means for you. You may call it God, Infinite Healer, the Divine, Creator, Mother Earth, or it may be spirituality through meditation. Whatever you believe and are comfortable with, think on that. God has given us the ultimate playground (the planet) and we are to enjoy and relish in it. We are also to be conscientious of others and the earth. What exactly does it mean to be conscientious? To be mindful, aware, respectful, and grateful.

So you're wondering how to grow in spirituality... I believe it's a combination of endeavors. First, if you have a specific religion, dive in and learn the teachings in-depth. Pray daily to improve your relationship with your creator. Next, improve/maintain your integrity and identity. Then, learn the 6 Human Needs (for yourself, and for your partner if you have one). You can learn about the Human Needs HERE. Know your own Love Language out of the 5 Love Languages (and know your partner's so you can fulfill each other in appropriate ways). Learn your Love Language HERE. Release anxiety, fear, anger, and depression from your life. Last, celebrate all your wins, big and small. Celebrating your successes is an important part of life because it allows you stop and enjoy your progress/wins/accomplishments, and it provides motivation to continue growth, setting goals, and achieving.

With a healthy and balanced Triad of Health, you should experience more gratitude, fulfillment, creativity, productivity, and joy. How do you maintain success and balance in your life? Please tell me about your practices below.