Balance

I’ve been back from my year abroad for about 13 months now. You’d think that I would be back into the full swing of things. YOU’D THINK. But I still wake up every morning with something pulling on my heart strings. A confusion between what I am SUPPOSED to do, and what I WANT to do. A confusion about what is REALISTIC and what is not. 

My mom always told me to make a list. A list of what you want out of life, a list of what you want in a partner, to-do lists – any list you want. But to write things down and create a concrete list turns your thought process into a reality. It may be easy for you to make your list, but what I’m realizing is that it is prioritizing your list that is difficult.

I want stability, yet spontaneity. How can you be stable and spontaneous at the same time? I want freedom, yet I love being on a schedule. How can you be free when you’re on a set schedule? Some people disagree with spending thousands of dollars on traveling, when I don’t yet own a house. And here I am, back for over a year, thinking about buying a house – because that is what I feel would be the most responsible decision. FACT – it’s a waste of money for me to spend $18,000 on someone else’s mortgage this year. BUT … If I buy a house my level of responsibility goes up, while my flexibility goes down. To me, flexibility is my freedom, which in my opinion outweighs any dollar figure.

My point is – all of the confusion that I have (and that every other traveler or non-traveler in the world has) comes down to BALANCE. Ever heard of the saying “You can’t do it all”. Well, Guess What. YES YOU CAN. If you create a balance and a harmony within your lists, you really can do it all.

The first step is to be honest with yourself. Maybe you have “expensive car” on your list, but you also have “health”. Which is more important to you? Which of those two things can you live without? If I am being honest with myself, I struggle with this balance every day.

Here is my truth – I love watching my savings account grow, but I love spending my money on one-way tickets across the world more. I love my Michael Kors watch, but I love living on an island where time doesn’t matter more. I love all 26 pairs of my shoes, but I love being barefoot on the beach more. We all need to create a balance. Turn your 26 pairs of shoes into 4 pairs instead and spend more time barefoot on the beach. We are all people. We all love things.  But my advice to you; Splurge more on EXPERIENCES and less on THINGS. My experiences are more valuable than any thing I could ever buy.

Everybody has an opinion or a belief, most which are different from your own. Everybody has a different list. Everybody has a different reality. That is THEIR reality, not yours. Be honest with yourself and you will create the perfect balance to suit YOUR reality.