It’s very challenging to achieve balance in life. Some believe a balanced life is impossible if you’re committed to succeeding at the highest level. Maybe that’s true, but most people don’t need to become a billionaire or a movie star to consider themselves successful.

Success and balanced life can coexist. However, you can’t afford to waste any of your time.

A life that’s out of balance includes some degree of suffering:

1. Financially. You can spend too much money when your life is out of whack. If you’re working hard daily, it’s common to think that you deserve to enjoy your life, so you whip out your wallet. Unfortunately, it’s easy to outspend your income. The pleasure you get from spending money also doesn’t last for long.

● On the other end of the spectrum, your income is likely lower than it could be if you're not paying enough attention to work.

● Putting too much or little attention on work can have negative financial implications.

2. Health. If your life is out of balance, you’re likely to exercise too little, eat poorly, and suffer from excessive amounts of stress. You can also have insomnia, and your health is one of the first things to go downhill when your life is out of balance.

3. Your relationship with your friends and family can suffer. One of the other casualties of an out-of-balance lifestyle is your relationship with others. Your connections, including your spouse, partner, children, friends, or other family members, can suffer.

● Consider the consequences of damaging your relationship with your spouse and children. Are the other things you’re spending time on worth it?

4. You don’t have time for the things you enjoy. Do you love to watch football? Go out with the ladies for dinner on Thursdays? Whittle totem poles in the garage? An out-of-balance life lacks the necessary time to enjoy hobbies and other activities.

5. Your mood suffers. Are you cranky, intolerant, angry, or feeling hopeless? Your life might be out of balance. People with an out-of-balance life often resent the time people and unrelated activities require.

● It’s not easy to feel good when your life is out of whack. A consistent bad mood is a terrible burden for you and everyone around you, and everyone suffers when a family member is miserable.

6. You lose the ability to focus. A lack of sleep, a horrible diet, no exercise, and no social life can tear down your ability to focus your attention productively. You can't stay on task as your mind and body wear down.

● You’re also spending too much brain power focused on other things. If you’re eating dinner with your family but are lost in your thoughts, you’re not focusing on sharing a meal with your family.

7. You either won’t take or can’t enjoy a vacation. If you can’t, or won’t, make time for a break, your life is out of balance. This can be a great test to determine if your life is under control. Do you think your life is unbalanced? Plan a vacation and see what happens!

Is your life out of balance? What changes can you make to bring it back into balance? Maintaining balance in your life can be a real challenge, but the consequences of failing to be balanced can be severe.

Remember how important your health, relationships, and happiness are to you. Where would you be without them?

Act today to bring your life back into balance! You’ll be so glad you did!