The Blog of Lisa Morosky

Everyone’s searching for that magic potion that will ensure that their business endeavors are successful. While a lot of things play a role, such as determination, opportunity, market selection, etc, I believe there is just one thing you need to achieve that will cause all other pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. That one thing is balance.

Once you achieve balance, you achieve harmony in your life. This means all aspects of your life fit together in their proper place and at the proper time. There is a time for work, family, friends, and other obligations. You mustn’t neglect your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This is something I’ve been striving for over the past year.

Have I lost you yet? Is it all a little too “new age”? Let me put this idea of achieving balance into tangible ways you can do this for yourself. I’ll also give you some examples of my own efforts.

Set boundaries for work and play time.

Set a regular work schedule. We are creatures of habit, and though it may be hard to stick to that habit at first, once you’re used to it it’ll become easier to switch off work mode at the end of that allotted time. In addition, if you just let your work time bleed into the rest of your day, before you know it you’ve worked a 16 hour day, your mind and body are drained, and you’ve left little time to rejuvenate by doing the things you enjoy. Then you just start running on empty indefinitely.

I’ve got clear boundaries set for work and play time. I begin work once my husband leaves for school, and I quit work once he’s home. Occasionally, I’ll need to get some work done in the evenings, but that is an exception to the rule and I won’t ever be making it the norm. In making this my schedule, I’m able to maximize my time working (because I have zero interruptions), and I’m able to maximize my time doing things I love (spending time with my husband who’s my best friend). Neither my work, nor my marriage, suffers this way.

Take care of your physical health.

It’s incredibly easy to overlook the necessity of eating healthy and exercising (I’m totally guilty of this too). But when you’re eating well, you’ll notice how you’re in a better mood and you’re able to focus more. And when you’re regularly exercising, you’re getting rid of that internal stress that can really drag you down.

I work at home, which means I’m two steps away from the refrigerator and I’m sitting down a large portion of the day. Two not-so-good things. I take care of my physical health by keeping to a regular eating schedule: breakfast when I get up, lunch around 12 or 1, and dinner when my husband gets home. I also take a break either before or after lunch and do kickboxing and/or strength training. That way, I’m burning off the stress and moving around.

Let me just say, when I was employed at my last job, I was in the worst health of my 23 years alive. I spent 9 hours a day at work, with zero breaks to burn off stress, and access to crummy food on a regular basis. The stress was internalized to the point that it brought on a chronic illness. Since I’ve been working at home and for myself, and continuing to strive towards balance in my life, my illness has pretty much disappeared.

Regularly connect with friends.

Friends have a way of uplifting and refreshing like no one else in your life. Make it a regular part of your schedule to meet with someone for coffee, or call someone up on the phone.

I’m really bad at keeping in touch, but I’ve recently made this a bigger priority in my life because I noticed how connecting with friends elevates my mood and motivation.

Take care of your spiritual health.

It’s way too easy to get stressed out and depressed and to feel spiritually drained. So whatever you believe in, do what you need to do to take care of your spiritual side. For some, that may mean meditation and yoga. For others, it may be attending regular church services. Just don’t forget about this very important part of your wellbeing.

For me, this looks like daily devotions (which I receive in my email), weekly devotions with my husband, and attending church services as often as possible. I am more focused and centered when I’m regularly doing these things.

Reflect.

Take five minutes a day and just be quiet. Reflect on where you’re at, where you’re going, and where you want to go in the future. Doing this often will help to keep you on track with your goals.

I’m a mover and a shaker, so sitting down and being quiet is a struggle for me. But I try to do it daily and I try to take notes on my thoughts so I can reference them later.

I know that this seems like a lot to do when you could just be focusing on your business and running with it. But, I’ve done the “just run with it and neglect all my other needs” thing, and you’ll pay the price. The price will be burnout, perhaps sickness, and ultimate failure. There’s no rule that says you can’t work hard and take care of yourself at the same time. The bottomline is that when you’re achieving balance in your life, you’re a more focused person who makes better decisions.

I think there’s one thing all successful bloggers have in common (other than the fact that they all write really good content). I just recently came to this realization while I was going though my Google Reader the other day.

All successful bloggers participate in and embrace social media. Now this might seem obvious to you. I know it seemed so obvious to me that I had never really thought about it. But when I do think back at some of the blogs I’ve visited that I thought weren’t particularly good, I see this missing ingredient. They had content, but no one was reading. They had ideas, but they weren’t shaped by anything. They just threw content out there and hoped for it to take off.

If you’re a blogger who’s not actively involved in social media yet, here are a few important reasons why you need to get involved now.

Social media = targeted traffic
There’s really no better way to get targeted traffic to your blog than to participate in social media. Those people you surround yourself with on Twitter, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, etc are all people who are already attracted to you. You have common interests, so naturally they’re going to follow you over to your blog.

Targeted traffic = more sales
Whatever it is you’re using your blog to sell (information products, your services, your expertise, etc), you’re obviously going to make more sales if all the people who are visiting are already predetermined to like you and what you’re selling! Social media delivers an audience to your blog that allows you to skip through the “do I or do I not trust this person” crap, because they already know you.

Social media helps to sharpen your listening skills.
A lot of bloggers fail to listen to their readers. I don’t think that’s on purpose necessarily; we’re just so wrapped up in what we want our blog to look like. But in social media, if you ignore the community, the community will ignore you. Therefore, you really have to learn to listen to what others are saying so you can know the best way to react.

And when you’re actively listening, your content will be a whole lot better.
Listening to those in my social media circles has done a world of good for my blog content. I don’t know how many times I’ve been inspired by what someone has said to me on Twitter, or a link someone’s sent to me on LinkedIn. I can see what others are really interested in and cater my content to those people.

Newsflash: People are already talking about you. Might as well get involved.
It’s just that. People are already saying things about you, your blog, and your brand in social media circles. It’s your choice on whether or not you want to be involved in the conversation and shape their views.

Don’t miss an opportunity to be grateful.
Here’s an aspect of social media that I think a lot of people miss. Social media allows you to say thank you! If I’m involved on Twitter, I’m going to see who’s talking about my blog, or who’s passing it on to others. I don’t want to miss out on saying thanks to those that are truly helping me succeed.

Really, you’re missing out if you’re not involved. As a blogger, your blog survives on the input and participation of others. Social media allows you to connect with likeminded people, shape the conversation about you that’s already happening, and be inspired daily.