Recently, in an online group, we talked about “balance" and an article one member had read decrying the demise of balance altogether. We all had different ideas about what balance is and how to reach it, and I realized, after a number of posts, that we were all right.

I believe it is possible to “achieve balance in our lives." What I don’t believe is that the way you create balance is going to match the way I create balance. I don’t believe that dividing my time 50/50 or 25/25/25/25 is right for me, though it may be for you.

How do YOU create balance? Easy. Find times when you feel like things are going exactly as they should, that everything in your life is perfectly in alignment, and that you’re doing what you need to do, when you need to do it. That’s balance. Then “creating" balance becomes RE-creating it. Once you know what to do, you can do it again. And again.

When you’re struggling to find what’s next out of the middle of a dozen or more things, when everyone feels downhearted and discouraged because they’re not getting enough of your time even though you’re running between chores and family as fast as you can, you’re not in balance.

Imagine your life as a series of circles, arranged around an inner circle. The inner circle is you. If you’re just running the bases and touching each circle with your toe as you go by, you’re not in balance. But if all those circles are close in to your inner circle, touching or overlapping not only you but each other, chances are you’re in balance.

Balance comes when you’re doing what you want to be doing, when it needs to be done. It’s not about fifty percent of your time being home and fifty percent being work, or any other formula. It’s about doing what is important at the time.