The Balance of Spirit, Mind and Body

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” – Brian Tracy

Balance

Balance is one thing that we could all use more of in our lives,

Finding proper balance when it comes to work, recreation, relationships and even time alone is important for our mental health and the relationships that we have with our loved ones. Balance is a rather simple idea on paper, but in our modern societies, actually achieving that balance can sometimes be a daunting task.

Our families need our time and attention. Yet, if we invest too much of our time into the lives of our family members, then we might lose some important time to ourselves which is also important for reflection and personal growth. Especially if you are the introverted type like myself!

We need to work to pay our bills and to be able to afford the fun stuff that we like to do when we’re not working, but if we work too much then our relationships can suffer and even though we have a bunch of money from putting in that overtime, now we’re not spending a whole lot of time actually living life, just grinding away for a paycheck.

This one truth is so important to the well-being of all people. Now, I’m a Libra, so I’m biased as hell towards balance, by nature, and you better believe that I’m going to preach it. But, there’s also another area of balance that most people tend to neglect in their daily lives. That is – balancing our being. Balancing everything that makes us, us. Balancing our physical state with our mental state and our spirituality. When these three things are all equally strong together, they fortify and strengthen each other, giving the individual an incredible sense of personal empowerment.

Like I’ve mentioned before, balance has always been incredibly important to me and I’ve been trying so hard to keep these three in check but sometimes I do fall out of balance. Lo’ and behold, that’s just life. Right now, my spiritual and mental state is in check but my physical state is out of wack. Ever since my injury, I’ve ended up a little fat and flabby due to my less than ideal eating habits and modest amounts of exercise. I’m certainly not where I was 9 months ago!

We shouldn’t beat ourselves up for falling out of alignment in our struggle for balance, but it is good to acknowledge it and to create a plan for the future to pull ourselves back, because we want to be happy and we deserve it too.

Let’s talk a little more about Spirit, Body and Mind.

Spirit

For all of you out there thinking that spirituality doesn’t apply to you because you’re not religious, don’t be silly. One does not need to be part of a religion to find a deeper connection to the Universe around them or to exercise their own individual spirituality. A person only needs to spend some time digging deeper in their souls to understand themselves better and their place in the Universe. It helps to understand their connection with nature and others, their connection to the Earth, and to strengthen themselves morally for the benefit of all humanity. In this way, an individual is indeed strengthening their spirituality and connection to a higher power, regardless of religion or lack thereof.

I, myself, am not a religious person. I would identify myself as an Agnostic individual closely bordering on Atheism because of my strong belief in tangible evidence over faith. I was raised as a Catholic and I lived as one until I was nearly out of high school and then I altered my religious affiliation to match everything that I truly believe in. I’m adamant that every individual must choose for themselves and I respect the opinions of others, but they just better respect my beliefs as well.

Body

Now this one takes a little physical effort and dedication, and it can be unpleasant at first to break a habit of habitual laziness because the body becomes accustomed to conserving energy, but guess what? To create more energy within the body, you actually need to expend some!

Sounds counter-intuitive? Perhaps, but it’s the truth!

Your body is your vessel in this world and creating a stronger, more durable vessel to live your life through can only be beneficial to you. Strengthening your body also creates a discipline for your mind which helps to bring that in to balance as well. A healthier body also benefits resistance to disease and illness.

Apart from exercise, strengthening your body means taking into consideration what you are putting into it with your nutrition. If you eat like shit, you’re going to feel like shit, you’re going to look like shit. Eat healthily, feel healthy, look healthy. Don’t worry about your look, that doesn’t matter. Worry about your health. Give yourself the benefits of great food to improve your life, rather than detracting from it with poor nutrition. Make food your medicine!

Mind

Last but not least, the mind. Arguably the most important area in any person’s life to be strengthened and exercised regularly. I believe in most of you who have made it this far, because hey, you at least read and that’s a matter of attaining knowledge.

Education and curiosity are important to the mind as well. A curious mind is constantly in the process of searching for answers, so allow your curiosity to take a hold of you! Give in to it! Learn. Soak in that knowledge. Learn practically as well. Take up new hobbies and push your boundaries. Do something that you’ve never done before on a weekly basis. Grow as a human being. In this way, you will create a very strong foundation for the strengthening of your other attributes. Your mind is also what will make you a unique and very interesting individual in your own right.