Harmony

Harmony, the thing we strive for, but rarely achieve. We may get glimpses of it, but then it slips through our grasp as everything falls apart around us. Of course, we won’t always have harmony in all things, but there may be some things we can do to create a closer relationship to harmony. Before we get into that, let’s take a look at what harmony is…

Dictionary

1. agreement; accord; harmonious relations.2. a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity.3. Music .

1. any simultaneous combination of tones.
2. the simultaneous combination of tones, especially when blended into chords pleasing to the ear; chordal structure, as distinguished from melody and rhythm.
3. the science of the structure, relations, and practical combination of chords.

4. an arrangement of the contents of the Gospels, either of all four or of the first three, designed to show their parallelism,mutual relations, and differences. 

WIKI

1. Agreement or accord. quotations 
2. A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
3. (music)The academic study of chords.
4. (music)Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.
5. (music)The relationship between two distinct musical pitches (musical pitches being frequencies of vibration which produce audible sound) played simultaneously.
6. A literary work which brings together or arranges systematically parallel passages of historians respecting the same events, and shows their agreement or consistency.

Finding Harmony

Some think you will never have harmony between things like life and work, but since your life is part of your work, I believe you can find harmony within each area of your life.

Spirit

You, as a person, are in search of harmony in every aspect of your life, but have you really thought about what’s going on inside? Have you stop to think about the harmony you have within you and what you could do to keep your thoughts and feelings in sync along with everything else?

What can you do to balance those thoughts and feeling within you that are now out of wack? Well, I’ll give you some suggestions.

Take a Break

When you feel overwhelmed, tired, and have not motivation to continue. It’s time to think about taking a break to calm and rejuvenate your mind and body. There is nothing more important than what you do for yourself to stay energized and healthy. Sometimes taking a break, whether short or long, can help put your mind back in the right direction.

Deciding to take a break can be difficult and I encourage you to do so when needed. You may feel like work and life will just pile up while you’re gone, but if you put things in place before you go to keep things running, and know that some of those things you’ll still have to deal with when you return; you’ll find it’s not as bad as you think. You would have gotten that much needed R&R you needed and you’ll find that work/life did not crumble without you.

Listen to Your Heart

You have always had that passion for that one thing, right? Every time you have a minute to think, your mind goes back to it. You sit and wonder why you never pursued it, picked it up more, or listened when your heart begged you to move toward it.

No matter what that thing is, your heart is crying out for you to listen to it! Take some time to really listen and then go after what your heart is passionate about, even if it’s for small amounts of time. Schedule it in so that your heart is as happy as you are. You’ll be thankful you did.

Your heart is a powerful organ, it’s where your center is. Where everything you love is placed. Not physically, of course, but you understand what I mean. Don’t forget to listen to your heart, it’s what’s keeping you on track.

Know Your Purpose

You only have one life and you don’t want to spend it constantly worrying about what people say, how others are going to react, or if you’re doing the right thing at every turn. It’s going to cause you to lose your mind if you’re always worrying about the little things. When you know your purpose, you know what you’re doing is right and you don’t care one wit what others say or how they react.

You are doing what you are meant to, you’re following your heart and showing the world that your passion is worth fighting for. There is nothing more satisfying than completing something you’ve worked so hard to achieve, especially if that something is what your heart has been pulling at you to follow. Go after it!

Health

Like most, if not all things in your life, your health is important. Really, it is! You may not want to think about it, but if you’re not healthy, you won’t be able to stay in the harmony you’ve created. So, let’s talk about it quick.

Exercise

Yeah, no one likes to hear that they have to exercise, (trust me, I’m one of them) but it’s true. Even though I have a hard time sticking with any one exercise program, I always feel better and feel like I get more done when I’ve work out. If you want to get to the technical side, it’s a way to boost your mood since your body releases endorphins that create a happy mood.

Not only will you get stronger, more flexible, but your able to clear your mind while you exercise to create better flow in that mass we call our brains. It’s so full of stuff that’s important and things that aren’t, that they are starting to mingle together and this is a great way to untangle them.

The Mind

Your thoughts and how you think through problems are also important to every day life. Keeping your mind sharp and your thoughts free of negativity will help you create harmony within yourself, but more of that below. Exercise the mind along with the body so they can work together, not against each other.

Communication

With Yourself

Another thing you don’t want to happen is to finish the Reeces because then you would be out completely and that is just not right! (I’m joking… maybe) Anyway, I lost my thought, but it’s back.

Have you ever thought:

• Wow, I’ve gained a lot of weight.
• Man, that was stupid of me.
• I should really start wearing makeup, I might be able to hide some of those blemishes?

What you say about yourself is only harmful to one person… yourself! Learn to love who you are. You should only want to exercise to feel better and stay fit, not because you’re trying to fix your weight. You’ll never stick to it that way.

What you’ve done may have not have been right, but use it as a learning experience and as for the third thought, really, do you need makeup? You were born with no makeup and you were beautiful. If you don’t want to wear it, don’t. You’re still beautiful.

With Others

Now, there are those words and phrases you say to others and as with yourself, you have the choice to voice them or not. Though thoughts hurt just as much. The words you say to others not only hurt you, but the people you’re speaking to or about. Those relationships you have with others, whether close or just passing smiles on the street are important to you and your growth as a person. You need others around to show you compassion, to learn from, and to love. Yes, there are times when you need to be on your own, but you can only do so much to lift yourself up. Those around you will do the same if they are treated with respect. You will receive the same when showing your considerate side.

Your thoughts and how you use them with words and actions are a powerful force. Whether you are using them for yourself or others, they can harm or empower, crush or lift. You get the picture. Thoughts you use against others and yourself should not have the chance to surface. By taking breaks when needed, exercising, and generally thinking before you speak, you should be able to clear your mind enough to bring forward the person you truly want to be. One that lifts up and empowers, not one that crushes and harms.

When your mind is clear of all the frustrations, anger and other bad emotions, you let the light shine on your words. Let your words work for everyones benefits!

How to Gain Harmony Within Your Life

People

This one may be obvious, but those you talk to and those you interact with are looking for positivity within their day. Why not provide that small bit? Why not give them some positivity, something to brighten their day instead of bringing it down or not doing anything at all. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll receive by just giving someone a smile or a polite greeting.

If you feel you could do more, why not give someone an encouraging word or if you see them struggling and know how to help, do so. Don’t just walk by knowing they are going to continue to struggle. Not only will you feel good about yourself, which helps you, you’ll feel good about helping another and that helps them. See win-win, but don’t look at it for the benefit of you. Look at it for the benefit of the other and by default you will gain happiness and harmony with those around you.

Work, Home, and Play

Your work is part of your life, so why you feel you don’t have balance between these two is a bit mind boggling. It’s part of your day and yes, you can bring work home, you can also bring home to work in your words and actions, but that is life. Keeping them separate is just going to cause more stress. Why not work as if they are one and the same. Schedule work as part of your day, as it is part of your life.

Try not to talk about the two in their prospective areas if you want, but sometimes it’s necessary to gain a different perspective on a particular situation. Talk about it with those of your family and your co-workers. If they agree to leave the two separate, then try your best to do so. Otherwise, lean on those you trust for advice, jokes, and more. It’s not worth your frustration to keep the two separate when they are two very important parts of you.

As for play, well you need this in your life to relax and have fun, to release the stress of work and home life. Make sure you have enough in your day to keep the flow of things going smoothly. Find others that will make you laugh, that will brighten your day, and those you can hang with after work to give you some time away from home and work.

Your family is a great resource for this. As spring comes around, my kids and I create a list of all the things we want to do during the summer months. Let me tell you they can come up with some pretty awesome things! Go ahead make a list and mark them off as you complete them. Plan them into your schedule and have fun!

Electronics

Here is another area you may need to find harmony with. We use electronics all the time, sometimes all day. You may not think about it, but how long are you really spending on your electronics. I have to admit, since playing Rise Of Berk ( I love HTTYD!) I’ve spent a lot more time on my ipad than usual.

Not only that, but I bet you’ve lost a lot of face to face contact with others, and I mean the in-person kind, not the FaceTime kind. Have you ever seen the ad where everyone is on their phones walking and there is a small child trying to walk though them. The child then stops and watches as person after person falls off a cliff because they are too focused on their phone. The child then sits down and cries for those who forgot the personal relationships and fun without electronics.

Perhaps you feel you need to schedule time to get off the electronics each day and spend time with friends or family. Or maybe you are just fine with how you are with your electronics and you like the solitary life you are living, who knows, but I encourage you to Think. Think about those connections you once had or if you were born with a phone attached to you, think of what it would be like to spend the day without one.

No, it’s not devastating and you’re not going to miss anything you can’t catch up with later. Spend some time with others face to face and you may just find that you enjoyed their company and you may not have even thought about checking your FB, Twitter, or Instagram notifications. Go ahead, give it a try. I dare you!

Final Thoughts

So if you really take the time to think about it, harmony is how you create it and what you do within your life to keep ahold of it. No matter what you do, seek out the balance between the things you love (and/or need) and learn to live.