#004 – Achieving Balance in Your Life with a Mind/Body/Spirit Approach

Balance in your life is incredibly important. So many people get caught up in their work or their family and relationships that the focus on the self often becomes secondary. These things are important, don’t get me wrong, but allocating some time each day to yourself leads to a much richer life.

Three Parts to Achieving Balance

The way I like to look at this is to divide the self into three parts; Mind, body and spirit. Taking time each day to focus on each one of these individually will help you grow and keep you more fulfilled.

Ultimately, we are energy beings that have chosen to focus a part of our “higher spirit” into a physical body. Look at it like this; the higher spirit desires to have many different experiences in the Universe. One of the experiences it has chosen is this thing you call “your life.” Focusing a fractal of its energy into a “body” so that it may learn through experience what it is to be human. The third part would be the “mind” which is simply a tool. Albeit, an incredibly amazing tool that allows you to function here on earth.

The Mind

Let’s first focus on stimulating the mind. Everyday you should be doing something to expand this organ. Unfortunately, most people see themselves AS their mind. This is called the “Egoic Mind.” The egoic mind wants to do one thing and one thing only…survive. Survive by keeping you in a state that is not your natural one. Remember, your natural state is one of energy.

Over the years I’ve read many amazing books on the subject of separating from ego. Eckhart Tolle is a wonderful place to start if you’re not familiar with the concept. I’ve listed two of his books below for you. Read them in order and they should take you on an incredible journey. I know they did for me.

• The Power of Now

• A New Earth

Remember, read a little every day. Make it non-fiction and on a subject that will expand your mind. Even if it’s just for ten or fifteen minutes when you go to bed. It will put you on a path of continual growth.

The Body

I know…”To go to the gym or not to go to the gym? That is the question.” You don’t have to throw weights around every day to help your body. There are many forms of exercise that can be just as affective, even fun.

The human body was designed to move…period. In fact, everything in the Universe was designed that way. Anything at rest eventually dies. Even if you think something is not moving, it is. Trust me.

If everything must move to survive, then this certainly doesn’t exclude you. Get your blood flowing! I know for myself, that if I go a few days without exercise, I start to feel pretty lethargic. If lifting weights is your thing then do it. If running is your thing then do that. Even if all you can manage to fit into your day is a fifteen minute walk then do it. Try to move every day. One hour per day would be ideal, but fifteen minutes will suffice. There are even devices out there like Fitbit or the iPhone Watch that help you move. I’ve tried a few of these and they really make exercising fun.

The Spirit

Ah…the spirit. My favorite subject. Focusing on the spirit every day is not something most people are accustomed to. It’s unfortunate, because it’s who you actually are. I think you probably know where I’m going here on what to do to stimulate the spirit everyday. Meditate. This is a four letter word for a lot of people. The problem is that they’ve tried it and were never able to get past the part of being able to slow your mind down. “I couldn’t do it because my mind was filled with all of these stupid thoughts!”

The human mind has on average around 65,000 thoughts going through it on any given day. Ninety-nine percent of which are useless and do not serve you in any way. Meditation could be described as “silent prayer.” Praying is speaking to your higher spirit. Meditation is listening to it.

The trick is to turn the volume knob on your thoughts down enough to be able to listen to that higher spirit. It has some pretty interesting things to say if you know how. Focusing on one thing so that the attention is taken off of that annoying stream of thoughts is a good practice. You’re never going to shut the mind down. Adjusting your attention is the key to beginning meditation. You can focus on your breathing or a lit candle or an image in your head. It doesn’t really matter. With practice you WILL be able to do this and the stream of incessant thoughts will fade into the background.

You’ll be amazed as to the “states of being” you can accomplish in a meditative state. It literally realigns your earthly energy with your higher energy giving you a sense of peace and tranquility. And, by the way, doing any other task while in this state changes your perception and allows it to flow much more naturally.

Achieving Balance

Let me hear you say it! Mind/body/spirit everyday! Split them up, knock them out all at once, it’s your choice. Find the time each day to do these three things and I’m telling you your life will change. You’ll be at peace with yourself, you’ll learn about what you truly are and you’ll have more energy and a healthier body then you ever had before. And when you go out there into the world and put your time back into your job, family and relationships, you will thank yourself for it. And so will the people around you.

In Gratitude...Kerr