Creating Flow, Not Balance
To know me is to know how much I dislike the idea of “balance.” The largely misleading impression that there is a perfect formula we all must achieve in our lives to be truly successful. As a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and business owner, the narrative for me is that through a ‘balance’ between professional and personal life, I will be able to “do it all.”
Well, I’m here to blow the whistle on this!
Balance isn’t a practical or even a very achievable notion for almost anyone. Just like each of us is different in our personal needs – our days are different in what is required to make it through.
With her permission, I have begun to be more vocal and open about the health challenges my daughter has and continues to face. While developing my career in the corporate world, I often struggled to find the mythical ‘balance’ that would allow me to do what I needed for my job, for myself, and for her.
So, I began to design a life I love. I launched Key Element Solutions with the knowledge that I had something of value to add and contribute to my clients. But also in the hope of finally being able to balance between “mom duties” and work responsibilities. Guess what? I still felt stuck!! Somedays, it was like I was totally rocking it, and others I sat, frustrated, and upset, not knowing how to align everything to make it all fit.
It was through this that I realized something that has not only stuck with me but has set the foundation for how I help my clients achieve their own definition of success.
We MUST do away with the notion of balance and exchange it for flow.
Balance says: there is ONE formula, and you MUST use it.
Flow says: today looks like this, tomorrow looks like that, but with some planning and follow-through, it will all work out!
Creating flow in my life had an immediate impact. I instantly recognized that the frustrations I had been feeling were due to my attempt to make things fit into a defined “box” instead of letting them all mesh together.
I know, I know, it all sounds great in theory – but how can you actually create flow in your world??
Here are five quick tips to help you get started and stay the course:
Have a Clear Purpose and Complete Something Every Day
Planning, planning, planning, and vision! This is something I have spoken about at length, many many times. Only through the development of a strategic ‘plan of action’ can you truly hope to achieve on ANYTHING. I highly recommend my model week tool to help you fit all of your ‘small rocks and big boulders’ in – https://keyelement.ca/blog/model-week/
Surround Yourself with Supportive People So That When You Fall You Can Get Right Back Up!
As a coach, I get to experience first-hand the difference that having a secure support system around you can make. I personally have a coach and mentor who keeps ME focused on MY goals and helps me to navigate the roadblocks when they occur. It is something I have discussed at length in my Why Coaching Works blog – https://keyelement.ca/blog/why-coaching-works/
Stay Connected to Your “Why,” Even When That Means Taking Risks and Overcoming Fears.
Moving beyond your comfort zone is one of the most essential things you can do in the process of creating flow in your world. Why? Because barriers of fear are the most detrimental force against progress, and without a plan on how best to tackle them, they have the potential to derail your efforts entirely. I know this isn’t an easy thing, I know it’s not even a very FUN thing, but it’s a must, and I’ve shared some tips for you on how best to do this here – https://keyelement.ca/blog/moving-beyond-your-comfort-zone/
Find the Lesson in Each Challenge!
Roadblocks, setbacks, failures – they will inevitably occur. In fact, if you’re doing everything right, then it’s almost guaranteed that they will. These challenges exist for a reason, and how you choose to respond to them will define the growth you and able to achieve on the other end. When we accept that setbacks and failures are learning lessons, and when we open ourselves up to what they have to offer, we are committing ourselves to the process – and that is a beautiful thing! Want to know how you can best audit yourself and your business to identify what you can draw from these roadblocks? Check this out – https://keyelement.ca/blog/audit/
Trust the Process.
The reality is, if this were easy, everyone would do it. You’ve decided to invest in yourself, and that is already such a cause for celebration. So often, we find ourselves confronted by the idea that our goals or dreams are too vast or too big for us to achieve. And this can feel disheartening, especially when you are trying so hard to create a flow in your world that lends itself to your success. When you find yourself in these situations, I encourage you to trust the process and to keep the motivation – https://keyelement.ca/blog/keep-the-motivation/
When we seek first to empower ourselves beyond the idea of “balance” and trade it in for “flow,” we are embracing the things that make us unique. No two journeys look the same, and no two processes can serve you the same. It is in identifying YOUR needs, YOUR challenges, and YOUR definition of success that you can even begin to set your plan in place and act.
I would love to be part of this process with you; let’s chat! Email success@keyelement.ca to set up your Insight Call.
