Striving for balance: Following your own advice is a tough thing to do

In the short time that I have been writing this column, a recurring thought has entered my mind “Man, I wish I could follow my own advice!” 

In Striving for Balance, I have given my thoughts on creating or maintaining balance in our busy lives based on some of my own experiences.

I did have my disclaimer at the beginning, though, that I am still learning; the points I refer to are based solely on my experience and, most importantly, although I believe these ideas to be important, I do stray sometimes. 

The need for solitude

Following your own advice is one of the toughest things to do. 

It’s much easier to dispense advice than to take your own. 

We also often seek advice from others on what we should do, but at the end of the day, we know ourselves best. 

We know what we need if we listen to ourselves. We can only listen to ourselves ,though, if we slow down and find more time for solitude. 

I don’t know about you, but thoughts often come to me at what seem to be random times, like when I am brushing my teeth. 

I realize, though that thoughts come to me at these “random times” because these are the quiet moments. 

Almost any other time, there is constant “noise” in my life: the car radio, TV, cellphone or iPod. 

Sometimes I need to remember to “turn off” and just be still so that my inner consciousness has a chance to compete for my attention!

Lesson revisited

Over these past several months, I have talked about how sometimes the most quality moments in our relationships are those that are unplanned: in my case, family dance parties. I’ve written about procrastination and how it ultimately increases our stress and does not leave any time in case something unexpected (good or bad) happens. 

I also looked at sleep and nutrition and how important both are to achieving a sense of balance. 

One of my favourite topics was gratitude and the importance of practising it every day.  Finally, earlier this month, I discussed how sometimes things happen which are beyond our control and we just have to “ride the waves”.  

My heart goes out to the staff of the Bermuda Sun with the paper coming to an end after a fifty year run. I wish everyone at the Sun all the best in what is a very difficult time.

 I believe in the old adage that when one door closes another one opens and trust that the staff will each find new and exciting opportunities to explore in the coming days.

Thank You

I want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to write for Women in Business last year, which is what led to this column. In particular, I want to thank Don Burgess for giving me the opportunity and encouraging me to write Striving for Balance. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share my thoughts over the past several months. It has been great to have the chance to explore some of the life lessons I have learned so far and to share my thoughts on those experiences. 

While I love my job, life as a litigator can be extremely busy and stressful and the value of having a creative outlet cannot be overstated. While I am sad to see it come to an end, it does give me more time to put my own oxygen mask on first, explore other creative opportunities and to try to follow my own advice.

Jennifer Haworth is an associate with MJM Limited’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution team (www.mjm.bm). She is also a wife and a mother. To send your comments or thoughts, write to Jennifer at [email protected].