Are You In Balance?

My business is named In Balance Bookkeeping because I’m an accountant, and when the debits equal the credits, as they must, the books are said to be “in balance”. That’s all. And I thought it had a nice ring.

As it happens, I live in a very cosmic area of Northern California, and I was surprised at how many business owners called me because they liked the name. They didn’t know much about the debits and the credits, but they thought with a name like that, I must have achieved serenity and emotional harmony. It was my introduction to the concept of one’s life being “in balance”.

What a worthy goal that is! And as business owners, family members, friends, community members and hobbyists, we know how hard it can be to keep all those roles balanced. One or the other always seems to be consuming way more of our time, attention and resources than it deserves.

I personally think it’s impossible to get all the roles and responsibilities we have to be in perfect balance all the time. The best we can do is try to achieve “overall” balance, where no one area of our life consumes all our attention all the time. If you find that happening, it’s time to step back and consider what’s really important in your life, and to take some time out to get rebalanced.

Cowboy is In Balance--are you?

My personal balancing activity is spending time with my horse Cowboy. Animals are great balancers in that they just “are”.  They will let you know what they think and give you immediate feedback if they think you are out of line. You better be balanced or your relationship with your critters will suffer! I’m involved in a natural horsemanship program where participants are encouraged to achieve “physical, mental and emotional fitness” to develop the ultimate partnership with their equine buddies. Now that’s a great definition of “balance”!

Of course, since I make my living helping others manage their finances, I tend to get a bit “money-centric”.  But even I need to step away from the calculator often and touch bases with a living being, be it friend, family, feline or equine. It’s all part of being “In Balance”.