The “holy grail”; happy, balanced living whilst performing at my best every day and not feeling drained / exhausted.
What would happiness and balance in my life look like?
How would I walk, how would I talk if I achieved a happy balance life?
Is a happy, balanced life achievable?
Do I know anyone who has achieved a happy, balanced life?
Where would I begin on the journey to build a happy, balanced life?
Is it wise to have such a lofty aspiration?
The “Business Balls” website (see link below) explores this theme in an enlightening way:
“Our age and ‘life-stage’ particularly affect what makes us happy and balanced, as does our personality, which stems from our genetic type, and our up-bringing and life experiences.
Life balance is therefore changing and different. There is no single model that’s right for everyone, and no single approach is right for anyone for their whole life.
The search for happiness is further complicated because the factors which most affect our personal well-being are commonly ignored or given very low priority in work and training, and in the media too. In schools also, life balance and personal happiness are largely ignored, and rarely explored or recommended as worth pursuing.
Consequently throughout our lives we don’t find it easy to consider properly the issues which actually determine our own personal life balance and happiness.
Like most other things however, life balance and happiness can be managed and attained, if we know the components – including our true self – and the causes of our own well-being.
Life balance can therefore be understood, planned and achieved, just like any other important aim.
www.businessballs.com/health-and-wellbeing/life-balance-happiness-and-life-change
Danny suggests that the critical piece of the “happy, balanced life” jigsaw is enshrined in the following highlight from the “Business Balls” quote above:
“……..if we know the components – including our true self – and the causes of our own well-being.”
This theme is explored on this website under the heading:
Deep and confident self-awareness.
Cesar Millan, often known as “the dog whisperer” speaks confidently and eloquently of the “happy, balanced life” and how to achieve it through self-awareness.
“In life… we need to find a balance. You have to set rules and limitations – that is called discipline. And you have to practice that in all your worlds.”
Cesar Millan.
In the following remarkably short YouTube video Cesar is in fact reaching out to all of us when he offers guidelines for raising healthy, balanced children:
See also Danny’s blog on “The RBL of friendship” on this website.
Are you reawakening?
What has led up to the reawakening?
In his world famous Commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs says,
“Sometimes life is going to hit you on the head with a brick……”
For many of us, it really does require a painful, metaphorical “brick on the head” to awaken us from sleepwalking through life.
Sleepwalking through life.
Very often, Danny has observed in his clients that the brick on the head life experience can trigger the reawakening. The window of opportunity to “begin the journey” is narrow.
Sliding back into sleepwalking through life can happen relatively quickly.
Many psychologists subscribe to this view.
Professor Dan Cable writes:
‘Treading the path of least resistance can come at a huge cost.’
“In my new book, Exceptional, I call this “sleepwalking through life”, and look at ways you can break free and change the habits of a lifetime. Sometimes, it will take a personal crisis or trauma to transform the path we’re on and help us become exceptional. This could be a serious illness, losing a close friend, or being made redundant. A growing body of science in clinical psychology calls this post-traumatic growth: when negative personal events lead to positive personal transformation.”
Dan Cable is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School.
Read more from Dan on this subject:
www.london.edu/think/stop-sleepwalking-through-life
Michelle Nader offers some helpful guidelines to anyone wondering if they may be sleepwalking through life:
“5 Signs You Are Sleepwalking Through Life:
- You dread getting out of bed in the morning
You are waking up to the same monotonous routine, a routine void of excitement or inspiration. Your highlights of the day include watching your TV show, having that glass of wine (or 2 or 3) and going to bed. - You are constantly overwhelmed with putting out fires at home and at work
You are frequently worried and anxious at home and at work. You can’t be present with people around you. Someone asks you a question and you don’t even hear it because your mind is on the dreary responsibilities you can’t possibly complete. For some odd reason, you persistently take on more… - Your emotional state is tied to your boss’s, your partner’s, or your friend’s mood
If they are happy with you, you are in a good mood and if they are unhappy, irritated, angry or disappointed, you take those emotions on without being consciously aware. With all of your responsibilities and need to make others happy, you have little or no time to reflect on your own feelings. - You have an inner negative belief about yourself that prevents you from changing what is not working
Most of us who sleepwalk through life feel “not enough” in some way. “I’m not capable,” “I’m not lovable,” or “I’m not smart.” Any time you find yourself thinking or feeling this way, you realize what actually is standing in your way — your negative beliefs about yourself. - You keep reacting to the same people in the same way feeling stuck in a pattern of behavior you can’t control
You tell yourself you are going to be kind to your mom, partner or sibling and when you see them, you can’t help reacting to them in the same old way. You seem to get triggered by something they say or do, but you’re not sure why — and you fall into your old beliefs, thoughts, feelings and patterns (without you even being aware of this).You are not conscious as to the impact of these triggers because you simply have lost touch with how you feel and why you feel that way.
If you see yourself in one or more of these 5 signs, the bad news is you are sleepwalking through your life.
The good news is that just by recognizing that you are experiencing any of the above is also an awakening! You are waking up to how you feel, think, believe and act, which is the first step to change what’s no longer serving you.
You cannot heal what you do not acknowledge.
This is really exciting because as you awaken, you discover that what you are looking for is within you.
Your true self is the part of you that knows what you need, what you don’t need and what to let go of to live life with clarity, compassion and purpose. The only reason you could not see this before is because your true self, that inner voice, has been hidden beneath the clutter of all the above.
You keep telling yourself that one day you will get to do what you love like painting, writing, learning to play golf or play your favorite musical instrument.
You keep putting this dream — this wish — on your New Years’ resolution list, year after year, but you never have the time or energy to follow through. Worse yet, you feel guilty for wanting to take this time and that guilt keeps you from doing exactly what your true self is calling you to do.
But do you really want to change?
Sleepwalking through life keeps you safe in some ways — you know what to expect, you’ve gotten comfortable in numbness, and it takes less of you to sleep through life.
www.michelinenader.com/2017/01/5-signs-you-are-sleepwalking-through-life/
Danny has observed the life-changing benefits of self-awareness in his clients over 40 years.
At the same time, simultaneously, he alerts clients to the painful and challenging journey that it might become until a higher level of self-awareness brings peace and performance in equal measure.
One of the oldest and truest sayings applies here:
“No pain, no gain.”
Reawakening leads to the journey.
The journey leads to self-awareness.
Self-awareness leads to peace and performance.
Peace and performance lead to a happy balanced life.
Danny Mcguigan.
If you suspect that you may be sleepwalking through life, get help!
Contact Danny McGuigan:
Tel: 07850 143 209
Email: email@dannymcguigan.com
