3 Steps to Life Balance (Part 2)

Release Perfectionism by Embracing a "7"

March 7, 2019 | Legacy & Life Coaching
By Adam Gragg

Unrealistic expectations cause stress, depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship problems, and much more. Realistic and healthy expectations lead to balance. Below is the 2nd step. Read about the 1st Step in 5 Steps to Establishing Life Balance (Part 1).

Step 2: Define Your “7” in Each Area

Establish a “good enough” baseline for each area. “Good enough” means a “7” on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is poor and 10 is great). Living a “10” is unsustainable because it requires so much energy that other areas are neglected. I’ve found “good enough” is better than “perfect” for your mental health.

Here’s what one of my clients decided was a “7” for each area of her life.

Example: 1 Client’s “7” in Each Life Area

Spiritual

Consistent time with people who influence me positively. Time alone for reflection. Bi-weekly service activities. Prayer and and devotional time each morning.

Family

Going on a date with with my husband weekly. 5 hours of family time each week. Talking to my parents and siblings weekly.

Health & Self-Care

30 minutes of exercise 3 days each week. Sleeping over 7 hours each night. Eating healthy over 80% of the time and not eating after 7:30pm.

Intellectual

Reading over 5 hours each week. Watching less than 5 hours of TV weekly. Less than 15 minutes of news daily.

Social & Fun

Engaging fun activities with friends and family consistently, Playing games at least twice each month, and having time with friends at least twice monthly.

Career/Business

Using time blocks and artificial deadlines consistently, and delegating as much as possible. Making progress on my career goals and most essential work tasks.

Financial

Spending according to our budget and consistently saving money. Communicating with my husband weekly about our finances. Spending money on fund activities each month.

Describe a “7” rather than a “10” in each area of your life? Challenge your standards. Trust you intuition with this activity by quickly writing down what comes up.

Spiritual:

Family:

Health & Self-Care:

Intellectual:

Social & Fun:

Finances:

Career/Business:

Clarifying your “7” is a major step towards balance. You now have a point of measurement in evaluating your life. My desire is to look at each area of my life wheel and be able to say, “It’s not perfect, but it’s going well”.

In step 3, I’ll challenge you to evaluate your life consistently in each area and make adjustments.

Let me know if you want me to train on Life Balance for your organization by contacting me here.

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