Flexibility and Balance

Flexibility means to allow yourself and others to change. You don't always have to be right, and things don't always have to be done your way. As the only female in my family, there are many things that I would like done differently, such as the cleanliness level of the house. However, if I fought with my husband and kids all the time over my house being spotless, we would not enjoy each other's company and we would both be frustrated all the time.

Balance means to not let yourself concentrate on one activity to the exclusion of all else. At times in my life, this has been a weakness of mine. When my kids were babies, I didn't play volleyball, I didn't go out very much, and I spent all of my time looking after my young kids. Many young parents do this, partly out of necessity as it is expensive to hire a babysitter. Even though my kids are now old enough to be on their own, I still feel guilty when I take time for myself to go out with a friend to a movie, or play volleyball instead of being home to help them with homework or cook dinner. This key is a constant struggle for me to take time for myself and not just work (teacher, mom, maid, cook, etc) all the time.