Finding Harmony

Today I am sharing a future column that will be published next month. 

Inventing Your Life

“Finding Harmony”

By

Rob Claudio

I just completed attending a series on mediation, which I found quite enlightening and more inline to where I want to be in my life.  There were different topics that were explored, which all led towards finding a better balance, inner peace and striving to live a more joyous life.  One of the meditations centered on how to live with more harmony at the center of your life and I decided to do some exploring of this topic.  When I looked up the definitions for harmony I found a few and most of them contained the words consistent, orderly and congruity among them.  I thought for some time about the capability of living a consistent life, where there were less ups or downs while striving to live on a more balanced spectrum.  I am well aware of how we all have those moments when we were humming right along with the rest of the world and then something happens that causes our balance to be thrown into a chaotic spin.  I know that when I was younger I tended to have more of those periods, because I myself had not discovered the need for finding balance in my own life.  When ever I had a peak of some type, I felt like I was on cloud nine and as I floated in that moment of excitement or invigoration, while I was less conscience of what was going on in my immediate surroundings.  Then of course I would also get to a place where all of sudden things became more complicated and I would place lots of pressure on myself to find the right solution for each issue.  I was very good about ensuring that I did not ask for someone else’s assistance, because I always felt that I could come up with the best possible answers on my own.  In retrospect when I think about those moments now, I just smile and laugh at my own ambivalence about those periods and how immature my thinking was in respect to some of the decision making of my youth filled days.  What I have learned with age is that I have to define what that balance is, along with creating the environment that will enable me to thrive rather than feel depleted. I also left that fragmented thinking that I had all of the best answers far behind in the rearview mirror of my youth, as life taught me many lessons about having a strong circle of support.  I know now that all of us have to get better at mapping our own destiny and although the work can be challenging at times, we owe it to ourselves to feel that we are purpose driven.  I recommend looking for the things that you are involved in that bring true joy to your heart, as they become the compass point for where you should be heading towards.  When you find an activity that does not feel like work and it can reinvigorate you by doing it for a short period of time, it is a sign that perhaps you should be paying some additional attention to this.  Some call it the search for passion while others may simply label it their true calling.  I find that anyone of those definitions usually leads you to being more of who you really want to be and that can add much more satisfaction to your own life.  When you think about the written chapters that have transpired in your life, also ponder what the rest of your life’s book will have in it.  Remember that we are the author’s of our own life and as such, we can determine what the rest of our lives will entail.  Think about the things that you do that can attract more harmony and peace of mind, as you look towards achieving the right type of balance among your busy life schedules.  You will have much more fulfillment knowing that the life you intend to finish will be filled with only those ingredients that you determine are the most important.  Finally, remember that harmonious living can be achieved if we pay attention and plan accordingly.    

“I have no methods; all I do is accept people as they are”.

-Joan Rivers