Progress and Balance

This weekend I went to a seminar about Ayurvedic Living. What is Arurveda? Basically it's an ancient Indian way of living in accordance with nature. This ancient knowledge shows you how to stay in balance to live the most healthful way possible. Factors like routine, diet, environment, time of day, and seasons can impact how in or out of balance we may be. Certain imbalances make us angry, anxious, irritable, fat, or lethargic. Some can lead to depression. Some can lead to light headedness and the inability to focus. Imbalances affect our mood, our spirit, our body, our job performance, and our relationships.

They practice a healthy lifestyle through following a relatively strict routine and diet. Boring you say? Once you start actually living that way, it's amazing how much better, and balanced you feel.  

Still, sometimes I feel like self care is just another f-ing job I have to do. Really, you want me to work full time, give myself sesame oil massages and leave the oil on for 20 minutes (do you know how that stuff smells?), scrape my tongue in the morning, only drink room temperature water, and prepare 3 home cooked meals full of unprocessed ingredients? Left overs are a no-no? You say no naps? Are you crazy?? Seriously that sounds impossible, even for the most determined being who is living in America in the 21st century.

The one thing that I took away from that is the importance of still checking in with my lifestyle and making some small changes that I can slowly incorporate into the routine which I so strictly adhere to. I literally put my make up on while I'm asleep, I'm that good. I have to be at work extraordinarily early, but I am adhering to some new routines that make my day better. I am going to see what works for me. What order I do things, what route I take to work, what priorities I take on while I am there.

Deepak Choprah recently wrote:
Look right now at your daily routine. The input that fits a conscious lifestyle will have the following characteristics: fresh, unexpected, surprising, delightful, challenging, inspiring, heartfelt, spontaneous, curious, creative, vital, selfless, and expansive.

If you daily routine leads in the opposite direction, towards unconsciousness, the following words apply instead: repetitive, predictable, conformist, unadventurous, automatic, reactive, dull, boring, exhausting, unchallenging, numb, uninspired, selfish, and mechanical.

I know I feel energized when I see progress in my deals. So taking from Deepak, I will make 10 extra calls to active prospects or people I have been meaning to reach out to. I will be aware of how the food I eat makes me feel. I will schedule something fun for this weekend. I will finish that damn "to do" list that has been plaguing me. What are you going to do to create balance and progress in your working life?