The tightrope act of inner balance

All our lives are limited. Mindless diversions and also occasionally lazing around are quite okay and even necessary, but we should also keep ourselves and our inner balance in mind. Are we wasting our time? Is our life fulfilled? 

Or are we burning our physical and emotional resources in the oven of an all too stressful everyday life? Are we too focused on our goals and so miss the essential things around us? In short: Are we living a fulfilled life, in harmony and balance? And if not: how do we do that?

We thought about these questions when we put together a Lightbox about balance. The idea of a life in balance varies from person to person. While for some people it is simply a matter of feeling satisfied, another person may strive for the greatest possible fulfillment.

To live a life in true balance is certainly one of the greatest challenges. But all too often we are distracted from listening to ourselves. Instead, we often ignore our own needs in order to please others. Unfortunately, the education system and typical upbringing still leaves little room for the child to examine him- or herself. So, the discovery and development of our own personality often gets lost in the learning marathon: We are supposed to “function” primarily as part of a group.

But learning to sometimes be alone would be a good way toward living a life in balance. This is not a skill we are born with, because man is a social being. As children we do not want to be alone, and later in life, being alone is considered something peculiar. However, taking an occasional time out with by yourself is a good prerequisite for a life in balance. 

This holds true today more than ever. How else can we find contemplation and inner peace with all the busy noise of the world, with the seemingly ever more rapid changes, and with the constant media coverage on all channels? How can we achieve that peace and quiet that we need in order to listen deep inside ourselves?

The path to balance and inner peace leads through recognizing our own feelings and needs and being willing to follow them. This requires an honest examination of ourselves. It is only possible if the external stimuli and triggers that otherwise distract us in this or that direction have no influence on us. And this also presupposes that we – not as a basic principle, but from time to time – evade the expectations our fellow human beings have of us. We live in a world that constantly wants to tell us how we have to be or what our needs are, but these influences often stand in the way of our real self.

So, you should spend time with yourself and ask: Am I happy with myself and the things I do? Our Lightbox with royalty-free images on the topic of balance cannot show you the way to your own personal happiness, but it can certainly give you some food for thought on the exciting journey to discovering yourself.