A Friendly Reminder of Balance
This past week was amazing.
One of my best friends was able to come visit me for a week. Besties from childhood (like, 3/4 years old), we haven’t been able to see each other as frequently over the past few years as we’ve gotten older and busier and as I’ve moved 4,000 miles away from our hometown where we both grew up.
Over the course of the week, we hiked, went to the gym, drank wine, took Phoebe on walks, had a listening party for Beyoncé’s new album, went climbing, lounged at the beach, caught up, hung out with my family here, talked tea (literally and metaphorically), went on a train adventure, and napped.
It was truly a heart-warming, memorable, meaningful time.
Our time together reminded me of a powerful notion: life is passing us by.
Living several thousand miles apart and not being able to see one another super frequently, we did a lot of checking-in and life review. There were numerous moments I had where I was able to pause, recenter, refocus, and remind myself, “Oh yeah, this life moves fast. And if we aren’t careful, we’ll miss a lot of magic along the way.”
As I’ve sat, reflected, and rumbled with this friendly reminder, I’ve been gifted the opportunity to catch my own self, asking:
What am I giving my time and attention to?
What am I giving the best of me and my energy to?
Am I giving my optimal time, energy, and attention to the things I want to be giving them to?
And the self-reflection of these questions has prompted some powerful awakenings for myself.
I’ve been pouring my heart into my work for the past 5 years. There have only been a handful of days that I’ve taken off or haven’t done anything work- or business-related since I first started my coaching practice in 2019.
After taking this time with my best friend, I’ve begun to notice the impact that this non-stop work has been having on me. You don’t necessarily realize the impact something has on you until you have the privilege to take a step back, remove yourself from the situation, reflect, and consciously check-in with yourself once again.
And it’s providing me with the question — am I living my life the way I want to be living it?
Yes, I am. Absolutely.
But perhaps a more appropriate question — am I living my life in a sustainable, balanced manner that aligns with me?
I’m not, and this is what I learned from this past week.
I know this is a simple notion, and it’s one that I should have recognized, especially given my line of work (and noting that helping support clients in their own self-care relationships is a massive part of the work I’m blessed to do).
Still, if I’m going to continue helping folx with their mental health — and this is what I want to do, this is my purpose — then I need to ensure balance is part of the equation. I can’t keep running myself into the ground, I can’t keep going balls to the wall all the time, I can’t keep carrying this load all on my own. I need to learn how to rest, take breaks, and listen to my heart, mind, and body.
I’m extremely grateful to welcome to my team Dominick Yamashita-Potts who will serve as the Director of Operations for my practice, taking off a huge administrative burden from my shoulders, allowing me to re-balance my tasks so I can focus solely on client care. This change will allow me the gift to get back to what I need to be giving my attention to — my clients.
And in order to give this attention to my clients, I also need to give some attention to myself to rest when I need it, give myself breaks when I need them, eat lunch when I need to, and nap, sleep, journal, have fun when I need to, too — even travel to recharge myself and visit my friends and family — as all of these tasks are sources of fuel for myself that allow me to restore my energy, thereby allowing my to show up in my sessions as the best possible version of myself that my clients not only need but deserve.
Work will always be here. Stress will always be here. There will always be that next thing screaming for our attention.
But our time with the people who mean the most to us is sacred. Life continues marching forward. Our friends are getting older, our family is getting older, we are getting older. Time waits for no one, and while we are busy with work and our day-to-day routines as our noses are focused and glued on what’s happening in the moment, we’re missing out on the world around us.
My time with Jess reminded me of the concept of balance — yes, we still need to pay attention to our daily responsibilities. At the same time, we also need to have fun, enjoy the people and loved ones we are with, and celebrate the life, the gifts, the blessings, the moments that we have.
So, let this be a reminder to you, too — embrace the concept of balance. Give the appropriate amount of attention to your responsibilities that they need, and at the same time, nurture and love the things that bring you joy, that enrich your life, and that bring you a sense of fulfillment. Aim for a balance of these as sustainable as possible. You deserve it.
All my love,
Kevin