No matter what your goal is in life I want you to do one thing for PolyInnovator this year: #MAKEACHANGE and share compassion. Get out there, find someone random, and make their day. It can start small like this, but let it grow over the next year. Share the happiness and kindness that you want in life as well. Treat people with respect and love.
We should talk about something that is truly one of the biggest themes on this blog: Balance.
Body
You will be amazed to know that life is simply about balance.
No not the standing on one leg, and trying not to fall balance. The balance of keeping to the routine and straying from the path, or in more abstract nature, the balance of order and chaos. This duality comes into play in every aspect of life. Although most people would think of religious context like Yin/Yang, the middle path, or good/evil.
The balance of your body is a manifestation of the balance within yourself as well. This is where the Mind-Body connection gets the sharp contrast. The saying “Carpe diem” is famous for getting people to start living their life “more” or getting them out of their comfort zone. That’s great, but is it? I love the idea of living life to the fullest and taking every opportunity, but the problem is if you get too carefree you’ll start to lose the guiding light in your life. You need that security or you will never be able to prepare for emergencies or unexpected events. The same could be said for people who get too paranoid and prepared. You can’t live your life in a bubble with everyone around you running, having fun, and falling scraping their knees. YOU NEED that pain, that surprise, or life will be like a flat road, wouldn’t you rather have a roller coaster? The fun ups and downs.
So the point is, balance is key. Not too much carefree that you are not doing anything with your life, and not too caught up with preparations that you forget the very things in front of you.
There has to be a balance between strengthening and relaxing.
Mind
Coming to the other Pillars of Life we have the Mind Pillar.
This one is a complicated situation because it is really hard to tell when your mind truly ceases to have the capacity to work that day. After sleep it has time to recover for the next day. Our minds have so much inner endurance that we don’t use.
This is on a fundamental level where there is such a thing as brain power. You have the capacity already, it is simply choosing the use it. Daily life is all about the understanding of yourself and the people around you. The level of understanding simply originates from your knowledge, and training. It does not matter where you get this knowledge, and we always encourage autodidactism (self-learning). This means you can literally train your brain to be stronger, more focused, and geared towards success.
The power of the mind to keep you going in hard times is immense. Always remember that no matter what you have the power to control your mental state.
Spirit
One of the most fluid and complex Pillars is the spirituality of life.
This way of thinking helps center your internal essence, as keeping balance in life around you will balance the life within you as well.
Strive to meditate as much as you can, looking towards subjects like Reiki or Buddhist techniques. The habit starting process is tough for anything, and some people quite scoff at the practice.
In the 7 Chakra format, you have Chakras aligned in your body that to put in simple terms are spiraling pools of energy that flow between each other. When one is blocked, they all are as well. Some people might get mad at me for that simple depiction, but just go with it. If these channels cease to flow then it prevents the natural flow of energy in your body. Scientifically I like to think this is related to the electromagnetism of the body, or along the lines of thermodynamics. It makes much easier for the logical mind to understand and respect when looking at it this way.
Keeping this Chakras in balance will allow you to keep your internal energies flowing and working properly. Otherwise certain Chakras when blocked will affect your body and mind in different ways. Its worth a Google if you have time.
Emotions
Emotions are no different from an ocean.
Some people with more logical minds will say that they keep their emotions more akin to steady streams, instead of an ocean. It comes down to our base reactions before our more advanced logic can actually function. They come from the subconscious level and seep upwards to the conscious.
In order for you to control your emotions you have to know what you are truly feeling. This is where meditation and working out REALLY help. They help get you past some of the mental barriers keeping you from seeing what you truly feel. Other times it comes down to not suppressing them at all, let them flow through you.
Emotional stability is the hardest to master of the bunch.
I love this image above so much, for it shows the sheer scale of the world
Although quite small on the cosmic scale, with the simple text “Change the World.” this quote always resonates with me. I’m not making this blog as “save the world” kind of thing, but simply to make it into what it should become. I want to #MAKEACHANGE into the world being a catalyst of innovation and compassion.
My favorite quote ever is Gandhi’s “Be the Change you wish to see in the world.”
How we Approach the Balance of Life
In the end it is how we each go about our own journeys, and I've learned since originally writing this post; That each person will have their own Pillar that they identify most with.
Knowing that you can branch out into the other Pillars, and find connections between them. At some point you'll have to focus on a new Pillar by itself, but until then you can find the commonalities.
This will help you grow much faster, and overall lead a happier life.
