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doesn’t get made-from-scratch cupcakes for her birthday this year? Ifyour answer is still ‘yes,’ proceed to the next question.Can I change the way I do it? For those non-essential activitiesthat have to get done and can’t be delegated, find a way to get themdone differently and/or more efficiently. For example, I know motherswho’ve scaled back on their weekly tub scrubs by using dishwashingliquid as their kids’ bubble bath (which is apparently as tough onbathtub rings as it is on lasagna crust). With a little imagination, thepossibilities are endless and more time can be yours!Having said all that, there are some aspects of life that do not readilylend themselves to our control. So it’s up to you to redefine your life tomake room for those elements you wish weren’t part of it. This requiresembracing the moment.Nobody jumps into her car and thinks, “I hope I get stuck in bumper-to-bumpertraffic for 45 minutes today!” But it happens. MomentsHealthy balance should be basedon the 80/20 rule, the famousbusiness doctrine which statesthat roughly 80 percent of desiredresults come from 20 percent ofthe causes. In practice, this meansthat you’re going to have to decidewhere your 20 percent lies.like this are part of life, and though you may never learn to love them,you can find ways to make them count by trying to make every momentworthy of the time you’re spending on it. Is there something youcan do differently than you usually do in this moment, or somethingyou can learn? Perhaps something makes you grateful (for example,the fact that you’re actually in a car, and not forced to travel by foot orcamel)? Perhaps not. But at the very least, learning to embrace thesemoments in some way will help you accept both the moments themselves,and the fact that a “balanced” life involves not only the “good”stuff but also anger, frustration, annoyance…and traffic.Likewise, do your best to be fully “in the moment” when you’redoing something you do consider worthwhile—something that is partof your “short list.” Instead of catching up on work e-mails during yourchild’s guitar lesson, try sitting in and noticing the progress your childhas made over the last few weeks. Instead of mentally rehearsing tomorrow’swork presentation while you’re walking your dog, try noticingone new and interesting thing about each block you walk. Embracing–and being fully present in–each moment of your life as it comes is thebest way to truly feel as though you’re actually living each moment ofyour life. And therein lies the best kind of balance. ■Sources for this article are wholeliving.com and zenhabits.netHERLIFEMAGAZINE.COM 55