Balancing Purpose, Learning, and Chaos

Life is a beautiful tapestry woven with purpose, learning, and occasional chaos that brings unexpected twists. Our pursuit of purpose gives us direction, while continuous learning expands our horizons and fuels personal growth. But amidst the chaos that life often throws our way, finding balance becomes crucial.

My husband and I have been building a home with a vast acreage surrounding it. We are aligned on the purpose as to why we are building this home. The direction is clear, and we are committed to following through.

The more we learn the more there is to learn.

The learning has been like taking a roller coaster on the fastest track possible – a lot of chugging uphill and then a swoosh of finality as gravity takes its toll. The lessons learned have been tremendous and we realize there is so much more to learn.

We could not have imagined the chaos that would overtake our lives during this process. Some chaos is related to the build, and some is just life happening when you least expect it.

Finding balance has been a challenge. Too much time in any one area of life can throw us out of alignment, toss us upside down, and make us feel like we’ve lost control. While balance is hard to maintain every moment of every day, with intentionality it can be done.

I like to think of balance like a boat on the ocean. The goal is not to keep the vessel completely still – that would be impossible in an ocean of water and quite frankly it wouldn’t be fun – the goal is to keep the boat from going under. Our lives are like that too. We should be flexible enough to weather the waves of life while still maintaining our purposeful direction and learning as we go. The learning on a boat looks like watching the weather, paying attention to the other boats around you, keeping an eye out for debris, etc. Learning as we go keeps us from situations where we are stuck (think sandbar) or thrown off course (storm, debris).

My advice is to gather your compass (purpose/direction), keep a continuous watch on what is going on around you (learning), and enjoy the adventure of maneuvering through the chaos (balance).

Questions to ask yourself

Mentoring is a process of developing a long-term relationship between a more experienced individual (the mentor) and a less experienced individual (the mentee). The mentor provides guidance, support, and advice based on their own experiences to help the mentee develop their skills and reach their goals. Unlike coaching, mentoring is not focused on specific short-term goals. Instead, it is focused on the long-term development of the mentee. Mentors are often found within the organization, and the mentoring relationship may be formal or informal.

Is my life in balance? How can I tell?

What do I need to adjust to stay afloat?

Can I adjust on my own or do I need a coach to walk alongside of me?

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