Where's MY Life Balance?!

As a life coach I sometimes wonder if I'm expected to be the perfect example of "having it all." When I get off my path I wonder what I would tell a client who is going down the same detour. Well, let me tell you - that isn't easy. It's probably akin to a chiropractor doing her own adjustment....or a dentist pulling his own tooth...OUCH!

So, here I am. My 21-year-old twin daughters living back at home. Life Balance? Did I ever talk to you about life balance? Well, feed it back to me will ya!? Oh yes, having my girls back home is a walk down memory lane alright. Their loving conversations go something like this:

"No Kim, those are YOUR dirty dishes!"
"Right Lauren, like I ate 2 plates of eggs for breakfast this morning."
"They're not both from eggs dumbo, that's your grilled cheese!"

Standing there dumb-founded and speechless I think, I can help a CEO of a major corporation develop the strategy to launch the next super-technology of the decade, but I can't get my kids to clean out the sink. What's that all about?

Life is fabulous though. Because for all the headaches and loss of household peace, I've gotten the opportunity to connect with my girls in a much different way. Kids change once they leave home - mine changed for the better. (Oh, ya - it used to be worse.) They now know why they need to turn off the lights and close the refrigerator door. They now do their laundry and consider it a privilege because they don't have to drop their paycheck in the mouth of a quarter-eating machine. But most of all, they now have enough real-life experience to understand Mom and what Mom does for a living. Get this: my kids are proud of me! How cool is that? And, are you ready for this one? They seem to respect my opinion....yup, little ol' me knows what I'm talking about....most of the time anyway.

So, is it worth it? Some days I wonder, but not for long. We talk, we cry, we laugh about the same things - yes, it's worth it. And somewhere in the clutter of a messy kitchen and 3 additional four-legged friends, I find time to regain my total peace and life balance. I just have to look a little deeper.

Who? Me Disappointed?

How often have you felt the pang of disappointment when something didn't work out just as you expected/ Remember working so hard toward a goal only to be let down by the outcome? We tend work very hard to imagine our goals, visualize the outcome just so, and hang on to that vision for dear life. After all, isn't that what we coaches teach people to do? Goal + Measurable = Specific Outcome. But there is one very important piece missing in this equation; do we take time to enjoy the journey?
More than once, I've learned an important lesson from my "kid sister," Janine. Janine has Down Syndrome, and while some may view her life as uneventful or dull, Janine views her life as anything but that. Many may see Janine as a handicapped individual who has limited potential. I learned at an early age that Janine is gifted with insight and wisdom far deeper than that of a "normal" person. Janine understands that each moment has a purpose and each human being has a reason for being: When a loved one passes away, it's Janine who reminds us of their accomplishments and how deeply they once touched us. When events don't work out just as planned, it's Janine who shrugs it off and returns to relishing the moment just as it is.
Recently, Janine was excited by her plans to attend the Illinois State Fair to see Alice Cooper. (Yes, you heard me right - Alice Cooper!) But there was confusion in the schedule at Janine's place of residence and she and her friends were not taken to the fair grounds for the concert. As you can imagine, I was heart-broken for her. Janine deserves to have a good time and she'd looked forward to the event for weeks. My heart sank as I imagined my kid sister's disappointment and I was ready to place the call to console and offer promises of a greater adventure as soon as I could imagine what that might be. (How far does one have to go to make up for a missed Alice Cooper concert?) But this is the good-natured, happy-go-lucky Janine we're talking about. While fleeting moments of disappointment and confusion crossed her face, I'm sure, Janine let go of the outcome, allowed what is, and continued to enjoy the moment just as it is.
That was the end of Alice Cooper for this year. Perhaps Janine will have the opportunity to enjoy planning that journey again in the future. But that doesn't really seem to matter to her - because it's the journey in the here and now that matters most.
When I feel let down by missed opportunities, or spend time fretting about the how, what, and why of any given situation, I think of Janine. With all of the physical limitations placed on this perfect being, she is still able to enjoy life without limitation. Isn't that an example for all of us to live by?