The Perfect Balance?

Written by: Mike Ryan We are always out to balance the scales. Have you ever used a set of sensitive scales? You know, the ones where we add a little weight to get the balance right, and the scales dip from side to side, oscillating left, right, left, right. Finally they come to a stop… still not right - it’s a little heavy on one side, so you add a little weight to one side to adjust it, to achieve the perfect balance. Too much and you will sink it, and the whole process will begin again. Just the right amount and you will have ”the perfect balance”. And when you achieve that, what do you really have? It’s a very sensitive fragile situation, where the moment the conditions change, you must start all over… working on defining and achieving balance.

It’s this same thinking that we use to achieve balance or harmony in our lives. We are obsessed with it. We look to balance our finances by working more or spending less, we manage our weight by eating less or exercising more, and mostly we get it right eventually, only to find that we have taken our attention off the other things – family relationships, recreation or the things that are important to us. We look at what is wrong and find a way to remedy it. So we work on correcting this, and soon we are back in the swing, working on achieving balance. Like the scales, working on maintaining balance is a full-time job. The conditions will alter, then so will the actions and activities required by you to maintain balance or achieve the harmony you desire for your life.

What if, instead of striving for balance, you simply took on that your life is in balance? What if you were not adjusting each area of life in the pursuit of balance and rather dealt with work, relationships, money, hobbies, travel and health as you need to without the need to sacrifice one for the other?

Our quest for balance and harmony is over when we take everything off the scales and lay it all on the table. The merry-go-round is nothing while the operator seeks to balance it; rather it is balanced when he sets it in motion.

Causing a stable and balanced life is beyond you while you strive for it. When you take responsibility for all of your life, it balances.

DO IT

Life occurs as:

• Rewarding
• Fullfilling
• Harmonious

DON’T IT

Life occurs as:

• Frustrating
• Stressful
• Unfulfilled