The Balance Paradox
Balance, when we zoom out, is the result of properly sequenced imbalances when we zoom in.
Balance Through Imbalance
Balance is a dance, not a static state. Take the tightrope walker: To the untrained eye, she appears steady. But as we take a more granular look, we’ll see that she's constantly shifting, correcting from side to side. At every moment she is fully dedicated to going in one direction. One imbalance after another. Her balance is the product of perpetual imbalances that just cancel each other out.
Knowing When To Shift Gears
As we look at our own lives, the balance we seek is conceptually misleading. It’s not about doing it all at the same time. It’s about intensely focusing on one thing, dedicating our attention fully to it — and then switching gears. From work to family, from concentration to relaxation, from strategizing to executing. The key? Knowing when to shift. We feel “imbalanced” as the result of having been focusing on one thing (physically, mentally, or emotionally) for too long — not because we haven’t focused on several things simultaneously.
The goal isn’t to do and feel everything we care about all the time. The goal is to experience what we care about often enough and with full attention — at the right time.
Balance, when we zoom out, is the result of properly sequenced imbalances when we zoom in.
Resources
A few further resources you might like if you find the above idea interesting:
📚 Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
📚 Matthew Kelly’s Off Balance
📚 Dan Gilbert’s Stumbling On Happiness
📚 Richard Templar’s The Rules Of Life
📝 MindVault: The Control-Concern-Focus Principle
📝 MindVault: The Anna Karenina Principle
📝 MindVault: Wu Wei