Finding balance in life has been a constant struggle. Especially now working for myself and having the ability to do what I love full time, balance can be a challenge. Today I partnered with Sulwhasoo to share with you my journey to finding balance on Instagram. Watch the Instagram video HERE.
I wanted to also go deeper on the blog about what balance means to me and my tips for finding balance.
Enjoying time together
WORK HARD PLAY HARD
The past few years I have definitely worked hard and forgot about the play hard. When I discovered YouTube, I became obsessed with the community. I completely immersed myself in building my channel because YouTube literally saved my life. Before YouTube, I was lost and dealing with the worse case of depression I’ve had. The beauty community on YouTube inspired me and I wanted to be apart of it. Creating videos, review products, and trying new things got me up and out of bed. I didn’t want to do anything else.
For the first 2 years I worked full time hours with no pay because I loved it. Plus I was still acting here and there and that made some money. It wasn’t until year 3 that I started to see any monetary reward. In fact if you do the math, I’m probably still in the hole from the first two years. Every dime I made and more went into reinvesting in my channel and blog. 2017 is the first year where I am using the money I make here and on my channel to actually pay bills.
TIME TO FIND BALANCE IN LIFE
With the loss of my mom this year, it has been a big challenge to find balance in my life. I’m not quite sure I ever had it. My main focus for balance is taking the time to be present. Enjoy the moment. There is no need to document everything. Losing my mom caused me to have a huge fear of forgetting. As time passes, I know that I won’t forget the memories. I don’t need thousands of photos and mementos of every moment, I need to enjoy the time and take everything in because these experiences will be what I have in the end.
Being present is priority, but taking care of myself is a close second. My health has been a backseat lately because to be honest I didn’t want to deal with it. I had enough on my mind. So, this year I’m focused on getting my health back on track. Eating better, finding a balanced diet, working out consistently, and a regular sleep schedule.
TIPS FOR FINDING BALANCE IN LIFE
Here are a three easy tips to get you started on finding balance in your life.
- Make a graph
- I like to draw a circle. Label the circle into 4 areas of your life (you can choose what works for you): work, health, love, and spirit. Starting from the center draw a dot where you think you are on the scale. I like to look at my life on paper sometimes to put things into perspective.
Example of my current life chart
- I like to draw a circle. Label the circle into 4 areas of your life (you can choose what works for you): work, health, love, and spirit. Starting from the center draw a dot where you think you are on the scale. I like to look at my life on paper sometimes to put things into perspective.
- Focus on what you’ve neglected
- Now take baby steps to balance the neglected areas of your graph
- Meet a friend for lunch/coffee
- Call your family to catch up
- Sign up for a workout class, Groupon is a great resource
This year’s birthday
- Now take baby steps to balance the neglected areas of your graph
- Inspire yourself
- I’m motivated by inspiration. This could be visiting a museum, going to a fun concert, reading a good book. What do you love? Take the time to do it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not sure balance is something we can achieve completely. I believe balance is a continued push and pull. As we grow, we have to adjust. Life will throw you curve balls and you’ll have to catch or dodge. It’s okay to want to focus on one part of your life for awhile, just remember to step back every so often and evaluate. Because what’s the point of success if you have no one to share it with? And all the love in the world can’t pay your bills. This is why we need balance.
Thank you to Sulwhasoo for creating this thoughtful campaign and challenging me to look at my life in a new way. It’s such a fitting concept considering one of their best selling products is the First Care Activating Serum, all about balancing your skin. More on the serum in my recent skincare routine video HERE.
How do you feel about balance in your life? What do you do to find balance? Please share your tips in the comments. If you’d like to post your story make sure to tag me and @sulwahsoo.us #findyourbalance
xoxo
Serein
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Santa Monica Beach and Body Image
I appreciate this post. I’m also focusing on being present and making a conscious effort to make time for those who matter most. Thanks for sharing!
Balance, such a good subject! For me, balance is about being present in the moment. I’m very guilty of thinking about home/kids when I’m at work, and work when I’m at home with the kids. I’m trying to be much more present in the moment. I think this will really help me with balance. I’m also being more intentional with what I say yes to, and learning how to say no. Just because something is a good activity, doesn’t mean that I have to participate.
Thank you for always being so honest and open about yourself and your experiences babe <3 This is a big part of being a youtuber and having a presence on social media 🙂 I'm glad you were able to find your balance <3 <3
XO, Jessi
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Author
Hi Jessi-
Thank you so much for always supporting!
Thank you for sharing so much about yourself, I loved this post. I really enjoy getting to know you better through your blog. I too sometimes struggle with balance between work, college, and my family. I think the graph is a good idea, I haven’t tried that before. Thank you Serein for always being so open and honest about everything. You give great advise.
Author
Thanks Ashley! Yes, balance is always a challenge I think, especially in today’s world. We are always on the go. I personally feel like I have a thousand things I need to get done and guilty if I take time off.