"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignmentyou perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals and values are in balance."

- Brian Tracy

Seek balance in all things As Buddha sat under the BodhTree waiting for enlightenmenttwo musicians, arguing about the sound they were trying to get from their stringed instrument, distracted him. He was weak and tired from not eating or taking care of his body, but he wanted to see whawas causing the commotion, and so he dragged himself closer to hear them.

One musician would tighten the strings, and the other would cry, "Not too tight because you will break the string." The other would counter by saying, "Notoo loose because the string wilonly buzz and rattle- in the middle is just right."

The master heard the wisdom contained in their argument and declared, "That's it! That's the key . . . perfect balance!" Not too tight yet not too loose, not too high yet not too low, not too in yet not too out. The middle path is the way! Of course, an entire teaching has evolved from this idea of a middle pathway, one thahas affected millions of lives in a very positive way.

Excessiveness in any area can prove to be unproductive, if not damaging. The Buddha himself had ignored the well-being of his body while trying to free his mind. It caused him to be extremely out of balance.

Have you ever had a tendency to be excessive in some area of your life that led to imbalance in other areas? The truth is that all of life is simply energy flowing in certain directions, which we determine by means of our intentions and priorities.

If we spread that energy out, allowing it to flow in too many directions, we become cause to our own effect of an unbalanced life. As a result, wholeness and a life worth living are missing in our experience.

Many people direct their energy so excessively in one way, ignoring the many other aspects of their lives, that it ultimately catches up with them, making them emotionally drained or possibly ill and most certainly no fun to be around.

This is a universal principle with which we can all relate: Some people devote so much time to their work and making lots of money that they forget what it means to play, relax and spend time with loved ones. Others play so much that they don't know what it is to work.

Some people have total disregard for their body temple when it comes to diet and exercise, while others are so obsessed with their diets and bodies that they don't know what it is to take a break and enjoy a day without beating themselves up physically or emotionally.

And finally, there are those who are so fanatical about their religious beliefs they don't do anything but preach and pray, while others could use a bit more preaching and praying. Do you see yourself in any part of this description of imbalance? If so, perhaps the middle way is a path you may want to explore.

Perfect balance: It means not too much, not too little . . . in the middle is just right. Living a balanced life will produce a life of wholeness and deep inner peace. Consider the following six areas of your life as "strings" on an instrument: spirituality, physical health, emotional health, relationships, prosperity and job satisfaction, and free time and selfexpression.

Now, think about investing some time today in exploring which of these strings are in need of tightening and which may need loosening. Make a commitment to finetuning your instrument beginning today. Seek the middle way and notice that your life is fit as a fiddle and in perfect harmony with the universe.

Dennis Merritt Jones is the spiritual director for OneSpirit Center for Conscious Living in Simi Valley. His website is www.OneSpirit.org.