One of the things that stands out to me when considering balance is how deeply personal the definition and application of it is. When you consider that your equilibrium is unique, you begin to realize that what you consider balance may seem imbalanced to me and vice versa. That’s okay as long as you understand the concept as it applies to you and your decision making.
You get to determine how much time you are willing to spend on something to achieve your desired result, how much risk you are going to take to achieve your desired reward, and how much effort you are willing to put forth for the payoff you seek.
You get to decide what your version of work life balance looks like. You determine when you give it your all and what are the things that you strive for that make it worth being out of balance for a while.
The question isn’t whether your version of balance is personalized. It is how do you go about ensuring that your understanding of balance yields strong, consistent, and applicable decision making. Exercising and strengthening your self-discipline will help you ensure that you are honest with yourself and your related evaluations through each step of your decision-making process.
One of the more obvious exercises you can complete is the process of listing the pros and cons of a matter you are considering. Not only does this process create a template for a thorough evaluation, but it also ensures that you are taking a rounded view of your decision making and looking at each angle of it, not just the ones that you want to see or the aspects that support what you are inclined to think. This is a great first step to take before you make any decision that requires thought and planning.
Putting time into a decision on the front end invariably helps you to move forward on the right foot and head in the right direction, but what happens when adversity strikes or something unforeseen occurs. How do you re-establish balance?
It was not until a few years ago that I discovered how important agility and strength can be when I am physically unbalanced. I took balance for granted when I was working out because I had a set way of exercising, whether it was cardio or strength training. It was not until I discovered yoga that I fully understood how important balance is from a physical standpoint and how much I could gain by deliberately putting myself in an unbalanced situation.
Before I started practicing yoga, I incorrectly thought that standing on one foot instead of two would not be a big deal. I could not have been more wrong especially if standing on one foot also involved my eyes being closed with no point of focus. I completely underestimated how difficult it would be to lift one foot off the floor and stand on the other even for a short period of time. This simple challenge made me realize that my previous sense of what my balance was had actually kept me from challenging myself to achieve balance regardless of the situation I was experiencing.
I had to train my body in an entirely different way than what I had been used to doing my whole life. I needed a lot more core strength, focus, and coordination to successfully remain balanced no matter what exercise I was trying to complete. Over time, I have been able to increase my awareness and agility so that I can not only stand on one foot and not lose my balance, but I can also now complete a variety of balance-related challenges for extended periods of time.
This is a physical example of balance, but mental and emotional challenges to your balance work in much the same way and the skill set you need to effectively combat those challenges is similar. Whether you’re trying to remain balanced in your family life, your working career, or your academic studies, your ability to do so will be challenged and you will need your own combination of agility, strength, and focus to regain your balance when you are inevitably thrown off kilter.
Even in a balanced world, the forces at work are not balanced. As an example, negative energy is known to be more powerful than positive energy. This is especially relevant when you consider the forces that are most likely to be working against you as you strive to stay on track toward the achievement of your goals and objectives. Negative energy can take on a lot of characteristics; some sources naturally work against what you are trying to achieve while others might be manufactured for nefarious purposes. Regardless of the source or purpose, negative energy is always going to be a factor, and you will need to rely on a heavier dose of your own positive energy to effectively counter it.
I find that I can produce positive energy from within my own mindset. If I have put the requisite time and energy into making a good decision and followed my established process for doing so, I am naturally optimistic about my chances of achieving my desired outcome. When I am faced with an obstacle, I create the positive energy I need through a combination of commitment and resolve to solve the problem. The more experience I have solving problems and clearing obstacles, the more optimistic I am about achieving my goals.
One last example of a situation that can lead to imbalance is competition. Whether that competition involves a sport or academics or something happening in your workplace, forces are at work to deliberately keep you off balance or at a disadvantage. To best your competition, you are going to need a stronger sense of balance and the skills that will help you to maintain that balance through to the end of the competition.
Often, victory goes to the side or individual who was better prepared and more able to adapt; both skills that are fed by a strong understanding and application of balance.
