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My husband once shared an analogy he heard from his VP at work about the secret to a good balance in life, and it has stuck with me ever since. I’ve tweaked it a little here, but I believe the essence remains the same.
Imagine your life is like a table with four legs. Each leg stands for something really important - health, relationships, work, and leisure. If the four legs are strong and balanced, the table is stable. If one of them has a crack, your table can still stand strong, as long as the other three are in good shape. But what happens if the cracks go unfixed and one of the legs breaks? The table will wobble, or even collapse.
Life works the same way. If you nourish all these four important aspects of your life, it will be fulfilling. But if you neglect one or more of the four areas, your sense of stability could falter.
Let’s look at those four legs:
Health
This leg holds up your physical and mental well-being. It’s not just about going to the gym (though that helps), but about taking care of yourself - eating well and managing stress. You might not feel the effects immediately, but an unaddressed crack in your health leg can really shake things up.
Relationships
The people you care about - your partners, friends, and family - are a huge part of what makes life fulfilling. These relationships offer support, joy and perspective when things get tough. But life can get busy, and it’s easy to take these connections for granted. When you neglect them, you might see small cracks forming.
Work
This leg represents your job or whatever it is that gives you a sense of purpose. It’s more than just what you do to make money - it’s about feeling like what you do has meaning. Maybe you run your own business, work a traditional job, or volunteer. As long as you’re engaged, the work leg is solid. But if you hit a rough patch at work or lose that sense of purpose, it’s like a crack in the leg.
Leisure
We all need some time for ourselves - things that we do just for fun. It could be painting, hiking, reading, gardening, or maybe playing a sport. These moments of joy relax and recharge you. But if you stop making time for these activities, another crack in your table will form. You might not notice it right away, but over time, it can wear you down.
The takeaway is simple: for a truly fulfilling life, you need to tend to all four legs of your table. If one starts to crack - like losing a job or falling into unhealthy habits - the other three legs can help keep you standing, just keep them strong! It's only when the cracks go unfixed for too long, that things get tricky: you risk feeling unfulfilled or overwhelmed. The key is to notice when something starts to weaken and give it some attention before the crack turns into a full break.
Life will naturally shift, and sometimes one leg may require more attention than the others. But if you stay mindful of all four areas, you’ll be able to maintain a solid foundation, even when life throws you a curveball.
So, let's all take a moment to think about our own table - are all four legs holding up well, or is there a crack or two we could focus on fixing?
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