How do we create a BALANCED Life?
As we emerge from the pandemic and the aftermath of COVID19 how will we forge a path forward?
What are ways we can live more sustainably? How do we construct meaningful and creative lives? Can we thrive as individuals and communities?
And more importantly, how can we incorporate all of those questions to create a BALANCED Life?
These are a few of the questions I have pondered since being thrust into a deep, reflective, and introspective mode by various lockdowns, border closures, and Pandemic induced uncertainties.
As I wrestled with these questions I turned to ancient texts such as the Tao Te Ching, the wisdom of Joseph Campbell, various mythologies and religions, the philosophy of The Stoics, the poetry of Rumi, and a plethora of other time tested and proven sacred teachings ranging from the texts of The Bhagavad Gita, The Bible, and The Q’uran. I simultaneously consulted the ponderings of more recent and contemporary thinkers such as Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, John Kabat Zinn, Sir Ken Robinson, and Viktor Frankl.
Calling upon my background and knowledge as an educator I invoked various theories from Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs), Howard Gardner (Multiple Intelligences), Carl Dweck (Mindset) and combined them with current trends in education including Mindfulness, Resilience, Educating the Whole Child and Social-Emotional Learning. I combined these ideas with my training in science (biology) to devise and create a model based on data-driven and time-tested scientifically proven methods on how we can create a structured and ordered routine to live a BALANCED Life.
Join me as I explore and develop each domain below. Over the next few months, I plan to develop this idea further and dive deeper into the guiding questions driving my desire to discover the secrets to designing a life well-lived.
I’ll share data, develop tool kits, provide examples, relate personal stories and investigate pragmatic ways we might incorporate various techniques and daily routines to find balance, achieve harmony, create meaning and discover fulfillment in our daily lives.
With this in mind, I am excited to share my BALANCED Life model below.
Breathing- Focusing on our breath and clearing the mind gives us a sense of inner peace, calms the mind, and affords us the opportunity to reflect deeply on life.
Appreciation & Gratitude- Practicing Appreciation and Gratitude reduces stress, increases resilience, and fosters hope for the future.
Lifelong Learning- Being a Life-Long Learner helps us discover our passion, cultivates new skills, and paves the way for new opportunities in the future.
Action & Adventure- Taking Action and developing a sense of Adventure broadens our minds while expanding our comfort zones and opens us up to new experiences to deepen our appreciation and connection to People & Planet.
Nature- Time spent in Nature has benefits ranging from improving cognitive ability, improving physical, mental, and emotional health while instilling a general sense of well-being by improving your mood and boosting your immune system.
Community & Culture- Making Deep Connections with others through Service gives us a sense of purpose and belonging while becoming a part of something bigger than ourselves, one of the key factors in living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Exercise- Regular exercise helps us maintain a healthy body, improves mental and emotional health, and sharpens mental acuity.
Diet- Eating a healthy plant-based diet while minimizing processed foods helps us achieve optimal performance and contributes to global sustainability.
Follow me as I plan to write publications on each individual domain and share them in the future. ENJOY!
