Less obvious, and possibly more freeing, is resolution of relationships that are no longer working for you. If a draining relationship is one of your “cards” and you remove it, you then have option to replace it with another relationship that is more suitable. Or, you can keep extra slack in your elastic reserve and have space available for additions to other areas of your life.

You can also create some slack in your rubber band of life by stretching and growing at a reasonable and sustainable rate. As you gain experiences and insights, build more supportive relationships, increase your financial reserves, etc.; your capacity to hold a larger “deck” of life increases. You build reserves and create room to add more to your life without compromising your ability to hold it all together.

So, when that stretched-out feeling alerts you that you are beginning to overextend, stop stretching. Clear out your excess “cards”, or grow your reserves; and regain some slack in your rubber band. You will then be able to add valuable “cards” to your deck of life and remain under-extended and ready for more.