If you think you can have

order without chaos,

you understand nothing

about the laws of the universe.

                                              ~ Chuang Tzu

It’s easy to observe others through a lens of amazement. Everyone knows someone who “has it all together”. When we see them, we seldom stop and think, “wow, they must have really been through a lot.”  More often we think, “My world is such a mess! When am I ever going to get it together?”.  But that’s just self-deflating and unhelpful. Order and chaos are two sides of the same coin and you aren’t really ever going to have one without the other.

There are pluses to both sides. Chaos is energizing, interesting and full of potential. Order is comforting, productive and useful.  There are minuses to both sides. Chaos is draining, disorganized and haphazard.  Order is stifling, locked, and inflexible.  Neither one is good or bad.  They just are and there is a place in every life for both of them.

Take a moment alone to look at your life, your job, your family — wherever you feel the need and ask yourself:  How much of it is chaos?  What do you like about it? What would you change?  How much of it is order? What do you like about it? What would you change?  Instead of berating or despairing the order or chaos in your life – make peace with each side, and seek ways to bring them both in balance.