How balanced is your life today?

April 26, 2008

Where are you at right now?

How do you know if your life is out of balance? That is a tough question for some people to answer. Life may be chaotic, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is overwhelming-if you’re like me, perhaps you like it that way. The following questionnaire has been designed to give you a simple way of determining where you are in the ‘out of control cycle’. Simply put a tick next to the questions that you feel apply to you, then tally up the ticks and see the results.

The aim here is to have no ticks at all. Clearly a big ask even for the most serene and tranquil among us. Ideally, run through this questionnaire on a regular basis to see if you are regaining control of your life.

To make this exercise a little easier, I have included another copy at the back of the book. Photocopy it so you can ask yourself the same questions every couple of months to see if your life is improving.

How balanced is your life?

Do you feel that you never have enough time to get everything done?
Do you feel that your decision-making is always done under pressure?
Are there times during your day when you feel totally overwhelmed or out of control?
Do you think that stress is affecting your health?
Do you always feel low in energy?
Do you use drugs or alcohol to help you wind down?
Do you use caffeine and sugar to help you wind up?
Do you tend to eat foods that will give you a ‘quick fix’ rather than foods that are healthy and nutritious?
Are you working longer and longer hours?
Do you struggle to find the time to exercise?
Have you stopped spending quality time with family and friends since starting or buying your own business?
Have you stopped doing the things you love (hobbies, sport, etc.)?
Do you tend to get sick more often or do you always feel off-colour/below par?
Have you lost your sense of satisfaction with your business?
Do you tend to keep your thoughts and emotions to yourself?
Do you lose sleep worrying about business issues?
Do you struggle financially?
Has your personality changed (for the worse) since you’ve been in business?
Have you stopped enjoying life as much as you did before?
Are you feeling uninspired?
Do you consider your time at home as being predominantly to recharge and prepare for the next day?
Do you tend to feel negative more often than positive?
Are you more grumpy and irritable now?
Do you bring work home with you?
Is every day starting to look the same?
Do you have a lot of negative people in your life?
Are you feeling depressed?
Do you have a large number of unfinished tasks?
Has your overall fitness level dropped in recent years?
Have people stopped telling you that you look well?
Do you sometimes feel like crying?

Total

How did you do?

21-31

OK, time to get serious and really look at your life. Balance is not a word that even comes close to being in your life right at this moment. If you don’t make some changes now you will start to have major problems. Read this blog and introduce the tips into your daily life at a pace that works for you. Many of the recommendations will bring instant results and you will regain that sense of balance before long. Start to enjoy the way this makes you feel and enjoy the benefits of regaining control of your life.

11-20

This is the middle of the road and typically where most people tend to hover. There are two ways to look at this: first, at least you’re not as badly off as the first group; but second, the warning signs are clearly there that you may be on the way to a life of stress and all the issues associated with being out of control.

1-10

There aren’t too many business owners who wouldn’t say yes to at least a few of these questions. This is the best place to be, although it’s important not to let things slide any further. You will be getting a few warning signs, probably a few symptoms of stress starting to creep into your life. Take heed and use these tips to nip them in the bud as quickly as you can.

You are a picture of pure tranquillity, you are Buddha personified. Throw this book in the bin or, preferably, give it to a friend who could really use it.

[tags]out of balance, balance life, zen[/tags]

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