Karen Rae - Founder of Balanced Life and Creator of The Signature Balanced Life Planner
Karen Rae
Karen Rae is the founder of Balanced Life and creator of The Signature Balanced Life Planner®. Karen created this planner to guide others in finding balance in their day-to-day activities.
Karen is a single mother of two young daughters, a homemaker, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and business owner. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Karen realized she was busy, but she was missing the bigger picture.
This inspired her to develop the Balanced Life Planner® in an effort to help others to renew their focus on what matters the most - Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, and Friendships. This is what Karen refers to as the 5 F's.
The Signature Balanced Life Planner® is a culmination of lessons and experiences I have gained over my lifetime and enriched with inspirational quotes and ideas from others. Karen wants the Balanced Life Planner® to motivate others to live life to the fullest.
I’m so excited for you to connect with Karen, check out her work, and follow along as she continues to help others to renew their focus on what matters the most - Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, and Friendships.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
My name is Karen Rae, I'm the founder of Balanced Life and creator of The Signature Balanced Life Planner®.
I’m a single mother of two young daughters with a passion for helping others regain control of their lives and reach their full potential.
How did you get started?
When life slowed down in March of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the extra time at home was a blessing in disguise for my family.
One night, I couldn’t sleep and thought once things return to “normal,” I don’t want “normal” to look anything like it looked prior to the pandemic. Moving forward I wanted to regain control of my life and focus upon what matters the most.
This thought inspired me to write a plan which led to the creation ofThe Balanced Life Planner®, a guilt-free weekly planner that walks individuals through how-to set their life goals and plan their days in a way that achieves balance in the 5 Fundamental Areas of Life- Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, and Friendships.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
The Balanced Life Planner® came from Divine inspiration.
I never set out to start a business or create a product but after writing a plan for how I was going to regain control of my own life, I thought, “WOW, I really need this, and so do other people!”
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
My biggest passion is building other people up; inspiring individuals to dream big dreams, believe in themselves, and live the lives they are meant to live.
I believe without a shadow of a doubt that I’m doing exactly what God has called me to do.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
Knowing God and trusting that He has a great plan for my life gives me HOPE and brings me great JOY(comfort) in all circumstances.
I have found that keeping my problems in perspective, serving others less fortunate than myself, and focusing upon those things I have to be thankful for (on the down days) helps me to keep my joy.
Speaking of what I have to be thankful for, my young daughters, they light me up, bring me joy, and make me feel the most alive!
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
I believe that living intentionally starts with making the choice and then having a plan for how you’re going to do it.
The Balanced Life Planner® is a weekly planner, but it’s MORE than just a calendar for you to set your weekly goals and to-dos, it’s an organizational roadmap to help individuals live and maintain a balanced life. It is centered around the 5 Fundamental Areas of our lives and provokes the user to be more mindful in these specific areas.
I have always talked to my daughters about the “5 F’s” and how important it is to be mindful of these areas, however I was neglecting to invest daily in each of these areas of my life, which meant that my life was out of balance.
I now use The Balanced Life Planner®, which helps me live a more intentional and balanced life, and my desire is that The Balanced Life Planner® will help you, as much as it is helping me, achieve a proper life balance and not only reach your life goals but accomplish so much more!
When you devote time and energy to the 5 Fundamental Areas of your life, you’ll reach success in ways you’ve never experienced; you’ll have more fruitful relationships, gain confidence in yourself, and begin to walk in your purpose.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
I would think that it’s very cool. I would be proud of myself and say, “Way to go, Karen Rae, it’s about time! Don’t let anything stop you; you’ve got this, because He’s got you!”
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
Because of my faith, I rely heavily upon God’s promises. Some of my favorites are - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I’m the head and not the tail, and I’m blessed coming and going.
(Philippians 4:13, Deuteronomy 28:13, Deuteronomy 28:6)
What is your biggest dream?
My biggest dream is to be a role model and inspiration to my two young daughters. I don’t want to make excuses. I want to operate at my full potential in every area of my life and be ALL that God has created me to be.
To learn more about Karen and The Balanced Life visit her website BalancedLifePlanner.com and on Instagram @BalancedLifeKR Facebook @BalancedLifeKR Twitter @BalancedLifeKR and via email YourFriends@BalancedLifePlanner.com
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