Balancing Values.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

I'm sharing this quote with you this morning, because I just happened to stumble upon it and recognized its relevance.

This is, essentially, what my college adviser was trying to tell me the other day.

I have great momentum right now: I just won a national award and two scholarships, but I have to take the next step and do some great internships to turn that momentum into what will eventually become a career.

That's the dreaded word: INTERNSHIPS.

I think that word is what is most hated by college students. It's the word that keeps you up at night and makes your brain pound against your skull during the day.

Internships.

So, as you know if you have read earlier posts, I am obviously a first born child (I'm very into birth-order psychology). One of the main things about first born children is that they are constantly working to find balance in their lives.

My question today: when do you have balance in your life, and when should you strive for balance?

Questions always running through my head: is it better to be a little miserable and work your bum off? Is it better to always enjoy life and be carefree, hoping a great career will knock on your door?

I feel like this is turmoil between American and European culture. America is so work-oriented.

Maybe in a past life I was Parisian and left work hours early to sit and eat pastries... strawberry tarts... Seriously, though, I've mentioned moving to Paris to my boyfriend and family more than once!

Pictures of me in Paris.

So... I googled what it means to be 'balanced' and how to get that into your life.

This answer drove me crazy...

To achieve balance, SWEEP: sleep, work, eat, emotionally express yourself and play.

I liked this one more: Life management is setting and achieving personal growth and relationship goals.

That's the beauty of life. I think everyone should define what personal growth is for them and what types of relationships are important for their happiness. If you know what you value, you know what to focus on.

For me, I value a career. I value working toward a greater cause for the betterment of society. I value a lifelong romance. I value family. I value camaraderie in sisterhood, which I express through involvement in my sorority. I value Christianity. I value leadership.

Once you exercise your heart and mind and choose what you value, you can decide in what ways you would like to personally grow and develop relationships. As long as you are always centralizing on those values and focusing on personal growth equally as much as you focus on developing important relationships, I believe that you will succeed in balancing your life.

And once you learn exactly what you value...

Stand strong in your convictions.

Lastly, you may have to go against the grain. Almost anytime you stand up for your values, there is negativity and opposition.

This quote from my hero, Winston Churchill, has gotten me through a lot:

Me with Winston Churchill at his museum in London.

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong."

Au revoir!