The Art of Loving Your Mess: Finding Balance Through Resilience and Authenticity

I had a week of contemplation and some fantastic conversations with one of my favourite humans, and one thing’s for sure — life balance is kind of like that one sock that disappears in the dryer. We swear it was there a minute ago, but somehow it’s gone, and we’re left trying to make it work with mismatched socks. We talk about “balance” like it’s this perfect, zen-like state where the inbox is zero, calendar is complete and we’re sipping herbal tea while journaling in the sunlight in a weird yoga pose. But real life? Real life is messy. It’s a constant dance between loving ourselves as we are and becoming who we’re meant to be.

For me, balance comes back to two words I have come to live by: resilience and authenticity. Resilience is what we build when life throws us into the blender — when things don’t go as planned, and we still find a way to rise (sometimes with mascara running, lost AirPods and a coffee stain on our shirt). Authenticity is what happens when we stop pretending — when we honour what’s true for us, even if it doesn’t fit everyone else’s ideas. When we weave these two together, that’s where balance lives. Because balance isn’t about doing it all right — it’s about loving yourself through it all, warts, fears, quirks, and all the lessons that shaped you.

Wayne Dyer once said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” That’s balance in action. When we shift from judging ourselves (AND OTHERS) to loving ourselves (AND OTHERS), from fearing mistakes to embracing growth, we stop fighting life and start flowing with it. We learn to love even the messy stuff — the fear, the doubt, the past shameful parts — because that’s where our resilience was born. And when our evolving values guide our choices, that’s where our authenticity shines through.

So maybe life balance isn’t a finish line after all — maybe it’s a rhythm or a flow. Somewhere between self-compassion and courage, between being real and reaching higher. This week, love your mess. Hug your fears. Celebrate how far you’ve come. Because balance isn’t found in perfection — it’s created in action, through resilience, authenticity, and a whole lot of love.

- Kim