The following article was published Cascade Business News, October 1999.

"Balance Your Way to Health & Success"

By Ann Golden Eglé, PCC , CPCC Of Golden Visions Success Coaching

Is it possible to be a successful professional without first being a successful person? And is it possible to be a successful person without creating a balanced life? Is it then possible to lead a balanced life without being intimately aware of our physical, financial, emotional and mental health?

What if you were to look at the various areas of your life as a balancing wheel? Just for fun, look at each category on the wheel and rate your level of satisfaction on a scale from one to ten, with one being little to no satisfaction and ten being completely satisfied. Draw a line to indicate where your level of satisfaction is, (one being at the center of the wheel) thus creating a new outer edge.

How would this wheel roll if, for example, you have a ten in ‘career’ and ‘money’, a three in ‘health’, ‘romance’ and ‘fun and recreation’, and a six in ‘physical environment’ (office, car, home)? Imagine going through life on a wheel that out of balance? A pretty bumpy ride!

Clearly the optimal balance would be to have a ten in each of these areas, constantly? Is that possible? I happen to know that it is! It is important to note that we cannot do it all at once. Becoming balanced, healthy and successful in any endeavor takes time.

Being at a ten in satisfaction doesn’t mean that there is no room to improve. It simply means that you know yourself well enough at this moment to know what is important to you. You are to be acknowledged for attaining this for yourself…or for knowing what you need to do to attain this level of satisfaction.

For some, being at a satisfaction level of ten in ‘health’ may mean participating in some form of physical exercise six times a week, for others three times and for others, walking around the block. This is fine as this is your wheel of balance, no one else’s.

Only you can determine what will bring you satisfaction. What brings you satisfaction today may change six months from now, and that too is OK. The key is to be aware and to be doing something.

Health satisfaction may also include staying mentally tuned through reading a certain number of books and publications or participating in hobbies or special interest groups that are stimulating.

What about ‘friends and family’ or ‘fun & recreation’ as areas for emotional health? Many of my clients cringe when we discuss these segments of the wheel, knowing that as they have climbed their own success ladder, their time for friends and fun has diminished. At the same time, fun is a key value of theirs, something that makes them come alive! Sadly this area of balance has diminished.

How healthy is this? New studies show that one can actually stay younger mentally and physically by being continually active in group activities. I would also add that a work force can become more alive and productive if there is an element of fun tossed in.

Look in the faces of those who you consider truly successful, including yourself. Can you see the brilliance shining through. This brilliance comes from making the time to slowly, often painstakingly, find a balance in their lives that keeps these eight areas on the balancing wheel alive and thriving.

These individuals are not only at the top of their game on paper, but in their private life...in who and what they are each and every day. If we aspire to truly be at the top our game, we mustn’t loose sight of our own health and balance.

Reprinted with permission from Cascade Business News, October 1999