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Do you ever feel like you are simply out of balance? Does your life ever feel like a runaway train? Are you hoping to operate from a place of internal and external peace, but your daily experiences don’t align with that desire?

If you ever feel out of whack, you are not alone!

Here’s the good news…

You can restore balance to your life today. 

We are smack dab in the middle of summer, and as we prepare to turn the corner and enter the third quarter of this year, we are also gearing up to talk more about home and family in the Inner Circle.

The Inner Circle is my private membership for women who want coaching, community, and support for living an intentional life. I know from countless discussions I’ve had with the women on the inside, home and family are both a big deal!

It doesn’t matter if you are single, married, single parenting, widowed, or divorced. Home and family are not based on your marital status. It’s about maintaining a space that brings you peace and relationships that give you joy. 

I believe there are key principles for you to understand and commit to so you can have the balance and the peace you want in your life and the relationships surrounding your life. 

Listen, I’ve never heard of anyone on their deathbed wishing they’d worked more or had more money. However, many people wish they had done more of the things that brought them joy and peace, leaned more into their passions, and invested more in the people they loved.

Relationships matter. When I talk about relationships, I’m talking about your relationship with people, your relationship with yourself, and your relationship with God. 

Relationship, in fact, is all there is. At the end of the day, if you don’t have peace with others, peace with yourself, and peace with God, you’re not living.

This episode of the podcast focuses on practical pointers that will help you find balance and bring peace to your relationships. There are three major principles that will help you live with greater balance and peace.

  1. Pillars – nonnegotiable big rocks in my life
  2. Rhythms – ebbs and flows of my life that bring ease and peace.
  3. Margin – intentional white space 

Pillars, rhythms, and margin allow my life to move at a pace that feels right and they all help me create space for the things that matter most. Pillars represent the important things I plan my life around. While I am willing to make minor adjustments here and there, by in large, pillars involve my nonnegotiables, boundaries, and require my commitment. Pillars hold my life up.

For example, a few of my pillars right now include my personal Bible study time, our monthly first Sunday family dinner, getting to the gym in the early morning, and prioritizing piano lessons! Pillars get my first yes so that I can ensure I leave room for them.

If pillars are the “what,” rhythms are the “how.” Rhythms are the routines, habits, and cycles that provide a path for you to live the way you desire without having to think too hard about it. Rhythms help you honor the pillars of your life without having to make a million decisions every day. Your wake and/or bedtime routine, how you meal plan, when you run errands, your regular date night, or family game night are all examples of how the rhythms of your life support your pillar decisions.

Maybe the reason why your life feels so stressful is because you don’t have rhythms. You are always working hard to accomplish goals for your life, but you are deciding every day how you will do that instead of letting your rhythms carry you to your end goals.

Rhythms aren’t about being Type A or disciplined. It’s simply about making sure the regular cadence of your life supports what you say is important to you. When you fall off the wagon of life, your rhythms will help you get back in the swing of things.

Now I have to be honest about margin. Margin is space, silence, solitude, and Sabbath rest. It is the whitespace you create in your life so that days don’t feel like metal on metal or bone on bone. Margin provides the cushion you need to respond and react well to the unexpected things in life that come your way. 

I tend towards living fast. Slowing down is hard for me.

Margin implies quiet, moving slower, making time to inhale so you have something to exhale. Margin is leaving room for God to write between the lines of your life. Margin is a form of rest. Rest is a form of trust. And trust is always a form of worship. 

This podcast is one of those that is foundational to you living well. After listening, you will be equipped to:

  • Identify your nonnegotiables
  • Honor the pace that works for you
  • Create space for the unexpected

If you want balance in your life, you must learn to live at peace in your relationship with others, yourself, and God. In order to accomplish this, you have to live intentionally in full integrity with what truly matters to you (pillars) and you have to live this way as consistently as possible (rhythm). 

Then, because life will do what life does, you must choose to leave a little room for the unexpected (margin) so that you can bend and flex as needed.

It is possible for you to feel good about your life.

Just pause every now and again to look at your life and make sure you are living in alignment with your intentions.

 

Highlights from Today’s Episode

  • Identify your non-negotiables
  • Honor the pace that works for you
  • Create space for the unexpected

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Resources Mentioned: 

 

Other Stuff to Check Out

Let’s Talk!

  1. What are your pillars? What are your big rocks?
  2. What are your rhythms? What habits or regular routines would make life a little easier?
  3. Where do you need margin in your life? What could you release in your life that would give God space to work?

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How to Listen to The Podcast

If you’re new to podcasts, think of them like little radio shows that you can listen to at your convenience. They are perfect to listen to and learn from as you work out, fold laundry, wash dishes or conquer the world.

1. Listen right here on the blog. Click the little play button at the beginning of this post.

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You have been so great to join me on the journey here on the blog, I hope you jump right in and do the same on the podcast!