Quotes for the Journey: Balance          The cost of success will be too high if you chose not to lead a balanced life. Linda Stryker

Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.       -Robert Fulghum     Learning not to grapple with every little thing that comes along is quite a struggle for many of us.  The eggs are too runny; the coffee is not hot enough; the clothes don’t fit exactly perfectly.  Some of us have so fashioned our lives around perfecting the details of the small stuff that we never catch a glimpse of the bigger picture.  We so distract our lives with details and convincing ourselves that everything matters that we live out of harmony and out of balance.       -Anne Wilson Schaef     Balance is the perfect state of still water.  Let that be our model.  It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface.      -Confucius     Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life.  It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.       -Thomas Kinkade     The Amish love the Sunshine and Shadow quilt pattern.  It shows two sides--the dark and light, spirit and form--and the challenge of bringing the two into a larger unity.  It's not a choice between extremes:  conformity or freedom, discipline or imagination, acceptance or doubt, humility or a raging ego.  It's a balancing act that includes opposites.      -Sue Bender      To live in a harmonious balance of commitments and pleasures is what I strive for.       -Jane Rule

Balance is the key to my serenity.  I attain balance by listening to my inner wisdom and to the wisdom of others.  There is no situation in which I cannot find a point of balance.  There is no circumstance in which I cannot find inner harmony.  As I ask to be led into equilibrium and clarity, I will find that my answers come to me.  I am wiser than I know, more capable of right action and attitudes than I yet believe.  In every event, I seek the balance point of God's action through me.        -Julia Cameron

We need to find the "middle way" in our own lives.  It is the art of finding balance.  Reflecting upon our lives, we soon discover what serves us well--nurturing calmness, ease, and simplicity.  We also discover what it is that leads to entanglement, confusion, distress, and anxiety.  Wisdom is being able to discern the difference, then knowing what we need to nurture and what we need to learn to let go.       -Christina Feldman

Balance in your life between work and your personal life is very important.  Without balance, you eventually burn out, negatively affecting your performance at work.      -Byron Pulsifer

Fortunate indeed are the people who take exactly the right measure of themselves and hold a just balance between what they can acquire and what they can use.       -Peter Latham

One of the things I find fascinating about God’s creation is the way he seems to temper the negative environmental elements with corresponding positive ones.  For instance, without the nearly ceaseless rains of the northwest, no incomparable green scenery would greet the eye from all directions. And the snow that snuggles atop Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens would not exist if, at lower elevations, there were no rain. . . . God’s creative style ensures that something wonderful will offset something less than wonderful.  In everything God seems to be balanced.       -Marilyn Meberg

Living in balance and purity is the highest good for you and the earth.       -Deepak Chopra

Life is often messy, uncertain, and unpredictable.  Sometimes it's a string of troubles that seem to never end.  That's normal.  Ups and downs are normal.  Being ill on occasion is normal.  Feeling peaceful and happy are normal.  Occasional low-energy days are normal.  According to Chinese medicine, it is accepted as natural that we fluctuate from being in balance to being out of balance.  Peace of mind comes from not attaching a great deal of significance to either state.  We simply note our moods and physical states and gently move toward balance as best we can, accepting it all as part of the flow of life.       -Charlotte Davis Kasl

The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us.  If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise person.       -Euripides

We in the West don't think much in terms of balance, and obviously we should.  Even the very thought of an exquisite union and balance of all our forces, both physical and mental, has a gentle, hopeful ring to it. . . . All of us must find a bridge between our physical and spiritual parts.  When that balance is achieved, what a happy comfort for ourselves!       -Edward J. Lavin

Weakness and strength are necessary for balance.  No one or nothing is only weak or only strong.  But some of us overlook our weaknesses, and even deny that we have them.  That can be dangerous, because denying there is a weakness is in itself a weakness.  Likewise, accepting that we have weaknesses becomes a strength.  And by the same token, overestimating strength is a weakness.  You should not be blinded by your strengths.  The feeling of strength is not the same as having strength.  Neither should you ignore your weaknesses.  Know them well, too.       -Joseph M. Marshall III

We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves.        -Francis Braceland

Are you balanced?  Do you share your time, your energy, your life, as much with yourself as you do with those around you?. . . . Know your limits.  You are one of the most important people you need to look after and love.  Balance your time, your energy, your life with those around you.  You'll be able to give more freely and joyfully as a result, and you'll be more open to the gifts of the universe.  It's not wrong to give to others.  But it's okay to say yes to ourselves, too.       -Melody Beattie

The Balanced Self Wilferd A. Peterson The man walks out on the high wire over empty space, sways above the breathless crowd, defies the law of gravity. . . . The successful living of a life can be compared to walking across a high wire. The indispensable quality needed is balance. The balanced self is the well-integrated self.  A harmonious combination of all the constructive elements of personality makes the self whole. The balanced self practices moderation, avoids extremes, follows the maxim "Not anything too much." The balanced self meets the challenges of life with equanimity.  It is neither exalted by success nor dejected by failure.  It meets despair with hope and climbs the heights with humility. The balanced self maintains mental equilibrium. It has ideals without illusions.  It separates fact from fancy.  It keep a level head. The balanced self is mature.  It considers everything from a grown-up viewpoint balanced by a child's simplicity. The balanced self balances dreams with action.  It uses the power of inner thought to inspire outer achievement.  And it uses action to stimulate further dreams. The balanced self guards against quick emotional reactions.  It does not jump to impulsive conclusions.  It delays action until it has had time, calmly and fairly, to balance all the factors involved. The balanced self is resilient; it is flexible to change.  Like a tree in the wind, it bends without breaking. The balanced self knows the error of constant effort.  It renews itself through prayer and relaxation, that it may apply a higher impact of energy and creative power to the task at hand. The balanced self lives a balanced life.  It balances work and play, love and worship. The balanced self maintains the I AM of the spirit at the center of self, in full command of its destiny.

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