Balance Your Energy for a More Optimal Life
I stumbled across an article on LinkedIn the other day about a strategy for an optimal life. As a sucker for all things self-help, I was hook, line, and sinker for this post. This article speaks to creating balance in your life to live optimally. Darius Foroux’s Six Spokes Theory blends so well with yogic philosophies on managing energy and living a fulfilled life.
The six spokes Foroux mentions are Body, Mind, Love, Work, Money, and Play.
Body: The condition of your body, including your diet, stamina, strength, and recovery.
Mind: Your ability to focus, rest, and acquire knowledge.
Love: Your relationship with family, friends, kids, and intimate partner.
Work: How much inner satisfaction and financial rewards do you receive from your career?
Money: What do you do with the money you have?
Play: How well you’re able to entertain yourself?
One of the core values I set for myself in 2020 was to live in balance. What a year for that! I have been observing that when I focus too much on just 1 or 2 areas of my life, I generate unease, stress, and anxiety. When I can be active in multiple areas of life, I feel calmer, happier, and more fulfilled.
Foroux describes each spoke like a spoke on a bicycle wheel. If one of those spokes were broken, the wheel would not function properly. Just like if your chakras* are out of whack, you will feel off. If all spokes are working, you will keep moving forward. In life, everything is connected. If you neglect one aspect of your life, let’s say the Mind spoke, your body, your relationships, and your work will be negatively impacted. Darius uses the example of the Body. If you neglect your body and don't work out, you'll be fine for a while, but injuries and illness will catch up with you. Everything in life is connected.
Time and energy are wildly different concepts. Think about long-distance running versus sprints. Sprints are short bursts of time with high energy, whereas long-distance runners wouldn't sustain running a long time at full energy. When seeking balance, don't assume each area needs the same amount of time. There are not enough hours in a day, and you will end up failing and feeling frustrated. Though all areas of life are equally important, the same amount of time is not needed in every area but rather an equal amount of energy.
“IT’S ALL ABOUT ENERGY EXPENDITURE. IF YOU GO FASTER, YOU DON’T GO FAR. THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRADICTIONS IN LIFE. THAT’S WHY WE STRUGGLE WITH IT SO MUCH.”
Spend too much energy with friends and you won't have enough energy for work. Too much energy spent at work and you're too tired to work out. So screw not having enough time, tap into the energy that you have and spread it equally. So the next time you are feeling unbalanced and frustrated and out of time, take a step back and refocus on your energy.
REMEMBER: WE ONLY GET FRUSTRATED WHEN WE TRY TO BALANCE OUR TIME. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
Maybe these six areas of life – body, mind, love, work, money and play – don’t land for you. To me, work and money are in the same bucket, whereas Darius’s thinks of them as separate. Additionally, he speaks to all relationships under one area of Love and I see it as two, family (including lovers) and friends. The spokes on my wheel look like this - Body, Mind, Family, Friends, Home, Work, and Play. What are your spokes? With all the energy and time in the world, what is balance to you?
[*Chakras = the 7 energy centers in the body]