Balance. It’s that word again. Balance in the way I treat myself.

Balance says:

• You didn’t meet every goal, but you met some important ones. Now, how can we move forward in the places you didn’t succeed?
  

  Life is a balancing act!

• The work you do for others is important, but taking care of yourself is just as important
• You’ve been at the computer for a few hours. Take a walk, even if you only have time for a mile.
• Disappointment is natural, but don’t stay mad at yourself. Forgive yourself like you would others. Personal perfection is not attainable.
• Don’t give into a failure cycle. You missed an opportunity to move forward today. So? Move forward tomorrow. Just don’t let it turn into a habit of missed opportunities.
• It’s okay to be honest about where you fell short. It’s not okay to beat yourself up over it.

Here’s the journal entry that spurred those thoughts:

Day 114:  If weight loss is two steps forward and one step back, today was a one-step back day. Not because I went crazy with food, but because I didn’t prioritize exercise AGAIN. It was a work from home day, and I was very focused on a project. I decided not to walk because it was very cold. Since I didn’t have to go anywhere I stayed in my gown, thinking it would remind me to at least do some simple exercises in my livingroom. But I didn’t start with exercise, and all the work seemed paramount.

You guessed it. At bedtime I was still in my gown!

I suppose pajama days are okay, but not exercising for the second day in a row is NOT. I had a bit of a battle with myself at bedtime. Part of me was mad at me. All of me was disappointed in me. I didn’t exercise, and the work I did on the writing project went much more slowly than I expected, so not even that felt successful.

Then I reminded myself I actually had a very full and successful day in regard to my job as ACFW Colorado Coordinator. God is opening all kinds of doors in the work I do with the state, and it was super exciting to see it all come together. There I was productive.

Another success was that  I finished step 1 out of 3 on the embroidery I am doing for Sarah. It’s really cool. I pulled several embellishments from the hat I wore on my wedding day, and I’m adding in silver threads to them to match the bead work on her gown. We’re detaching the veil from the hat and remaking it for her to wear on her special day. This successful progress is heartfelt.

I accomplished GOOD stuff, just not in balance. Too many long stretches of sedentary work without getting up and MOVING. I didn’t give myself the focus I needed to be healthy. Balance remembers to take care of my own needs, not just my responsibilities. ~ Feb. 14

How About You? How do you speak to yourself? Do you forgive yourself and move on when you don’t meet your goals? Do you think about yourself with balance?

I hope today’s thoughts encouraged you! Encourage others by clicking a tweetable:

Balance takes care of my needs, not just my responsibilities.

Treating my body and heart with balance brings success.

Use balance in how you see yourself.

Tagged: balance, be kind to yourself, forgive yourself, move!, take care of yourself, treat yourself with balance, weight loss, weight loss journey