A perfect balance is what many of us say we'd like--very little movement between good and bad events. But the world we live in is an open system where energy is ever fluctuating and perfect equilibrium is not possible.

Don't let that fact upset you! It's actually a good thing! Why? Think how boring sameness would be after awhile! For our lives to be vibrant, stimulating, and exciting, energy must be in continuous motion and that means both the ups and the downs of life's cycles.

Actually, perfect equilibrium creates a condition where life cannot exist -- a "dead" battery has reached a state of equilibrium, for example -- not exactly a condition most of us want. To have an abundant life, energy must flow. We can't prevent the cycles, nor should we want to; but we can manage the level at which our energy settles. Those who embrace the entire spectrum of experiences as they occur are far better prepared for all of life. They are better at shortening the down cycles and increasing the up cycles so energy remains high and life is more abundant.

In the natural cycle of life, unpleasant conditions do occur but they do not naturally persist over long periods. Under normal conditions, life (like all other energy systems) follows relatively regular cycles, so both pleasant up cycles and unpleasant down cycles are always temporary and manageable unless we do something to throw them outside their natural range.

When you are experiencing those unpleasant lows, here are some things that you can do:

• Stay out of the trap of fretting when you are experiencing them.
  • Stay positive and know that the ups are coming.
• Know that life's fluctuations are normal.
  • Circumstances are just circumstances. Stuff happens. It's not your fault.
• Don't waste energy wondering what you did to deserve the bad things.
  • Use that energy to get back into positive alignment so energy continues to flow in the right direction.
• Work diligently to manage the down cycles so you can relax and better enjoy the up cycles.
• Learn to recognize normal fluctuations in your life, allow for the inevitable cycles, and don't create circumstances that will bump your life outside the normal range on either the high or low side.
• Know that even the down cycles are highly beneficial if you handle them properly. Down cycles stimulate learning, growth, and innovation. It is in dealing with them that you become strong and resilient.

Psychology shows that only two things motivate humans: 1) the desire to move away from pain (the downs) and or 2) the desire to move toward pleasure (the ups). For the most part, everything that we have ever created has been done in an effort to shorten or minimize the down cycles and extend the up cycles.

Enjoy the natural highs and let the natural lows enhance your strengths and expand your abilities. As you move through life and towards positive abundance, remember that your satisfaction will come--not from avoiding the ups and downs of life--but from looking for a healthy degree of equilibrium--a nice balance between the two at the median level you choose.

If you manage your energy well, the duration of the highs will increase and the lows will decrease. That's because energy, in seeking equilibrium, tries to stay down, once it is down and up, once up. Longer up-cycles and shorter down-cycles result in a higher mid-line, or median, and higher energy overall. This applies to your mental, emotional and spiritual energy as well as to your physical energy.

Remember: Getting your energy to a higher level so you are better able to accomplish your goals and realize your dreams will take some effort initially. You will need to push past energy's resistance to going up, but once you make a start and get your energy up, it will also resist going back down. So decide how high you want to go and make the start right now.

Live abundantly!

Sherry

P. S. If you'd like to read more about equilibrium, read Chapter 6 in The Law of Abundance entitled "The Principles of Energy Flow: Equilibrium."