The Tire Alignment of Life: Signs and Steps to Restore Balance
If your tires are out of alignment, there are a few ways it shows up: the car pulls to one side, you have an uneven steering wheel, your steering wheel will vibrate, you get uneven tire wear. If you experience any of these, you take action and get to a mechanic.
What are some of the signs your life is out of alignment?
🔅 You feel pulled in 2 different directions – your values feel like they are competing with your career, relationships, or your health.
🔅 Your life feels uneven – you may be focusing all your energy in one area of life and letting others go. (like focusing on career and letting your health go by the wayside)
🔅 It feels like your life is “vibrating” but not with good energy – instead of feeling content and expansive like you’re on a smooth ride, you feel uncomfortable and restless and feeling all the bumps of life.
🔅 Your life is showing signs of uneven wear – maybe all work and no play?
If you experience any of these, what do you do? Many of us just keep going until everything unravels and then you can’t do anything else but step back and take a look at your life, your values, your purpose.
Steps to Restore Balance
1. Identify your values
My values are faith, health, and growth. My Christian faith is my center, my cornerstone, my foundation. I gravitated toward health and health coaching – 1) because I had my own health concerns and wanted to live long and have an awesome quality of life. 2) I love learning new things and sharing that with others. What could be better than learning about health and wellness and then being able to coach other women to feel their best and have an awesome quality of life?
What could be better? Taking care of myself and my health, sharing the knowledge with other women, AND helping women integrate their Christian faith into their health and wellness journey. I stepped into aligning my values with my life and my business.
2. Integrate those values and work with 1 puzzle
Instead of doing what I thought others wanted “Be everything to everyone”, I wanted to speak to the one who may never have explored partnering with GOD in their health, and open up the amazing possibilities that are available.
I used to start my morning with reading GOD’s Word, reading a devotion or two, prayer, and maybe even continuing my conversation with the LORD on my walk with the dog. When I walked into my office I didn’t intentional leave GOD in the hallway, but I didn’t intentionally invite Him in either. I would sit down and work trying my best in my own strength.
I found my personal social media was full of encouragement and inspiration with my Christian Faith at the center, but my coaching work did not focus on faith. It felt like I was putting puzzle pieces together but from 2 different puzzles. It was frustrating and I didn’t understand why until I learned how to partner with GOD in every area of my life.
I could ask Him about priorities for the day. I could ask for wisdom about my health and what foods and exercise would be the best (especially when I needed to make an adjustment after my hip replacement surgery). AND I could ask Him for wisdom about my work and how best to help His daughters with their health and wellness. Nothing is too small, too big, too hard, too insignificant to ask for wisdom. James 1:7 AMP “If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.”
I love promises like that!
I start each day now with a prayer or a study that I’m working on, list out some things I’m grateful for, write down something I’m challenged with, listen for a word from GOD as a message to me or maybe write down something I need to surrender for the day, and then make a list of 3 priorities for the day – all guided by prayer and conversations with the LORD. A friend calls the time “Coffee with Jesus” and I love that visual. I invite Him into every area of my life and no longer leave him in the hallway outside my office door.
3. Be the thermostat
When you are in alignment, things feel like they fall into place, you can feel content, fulfilled, at peace, flourishing. You also can move from being a “thermometer” to being a “thermostat”. If you’re a “thermometer” you measure the “temp”, the “energy”, the “vibes” (whatever you want to call it) in the room, in your family, in your workplace. Or you can be the “thermostat” that SETS the temp, the energy, the vibes!
When I allowed myself to settle into alignment, I could be the thermostat! The first time this showed up was when I went to the Flint Women’s Forum networking meeting where I usually introduce myself as a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (which I am), but this time I embraced my purpose and said “Hello, I’m Debra Loader, a Christian Health and Wellness Coach. I work with women to help them integrate their Christian faith into a healthier lifestyle – even if you’ve never explored partnering with GOD before. My message is a bit different – I’m just embracing what brings me joy.”
What happened after that is the result of being the “thermostat” in the room. Each women introduced themselves and told us what brought them joy. It brought the energy and positivity up in the whole room and if someone wasn’t feeling inspired when they walked in, they were after they talked about what brought them joy.
As I embark on using “one puzzle” to guide my health, life, and business, I am excited to share my faith, my health and wellness knowledge, and my experience with you to help you feel empowered to move forward in alignment with your Christian faith and GOD’s purpose for your life.
If you already feel in alignment with your GOD given purpose and health, I’d love to hear about it!
If after reading this, you aren’t sure you’re in alignment, or you’re convinced you are not in that place of contented alignment, let’s connect.
If you know you want to make a change, that you want more from life, and you’re ready to set some goals, book a time for "From Dreaming to Doing: Faith-infused Visioning" a unique 90-minute visioning session that is guided by your Christian faith. From envisioning your dream to setting achievable goals and creating manageable action steps, this session integrates the principles of your faith without feeling selfish or guilty, empowering you to walk in alignment with GOD’s purpose for your life.