by Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
National Police Federal Credit Union
In this space, I write about key components of sound decision making, often thinking about how I would tackle what is perhaps THE most important component of all, balance.
One of the main reasons I have not written about it sooner is because the topic requires more depth and capacity than my typical 1,000-word, three example articles could provide. However, once I realized, somewhat ironically, that I could maintain my balanced approach to writing about decision making by breaking up the topic into multiple articles, the path forward became clear.
So, as the title indicates, I am going to address the central role of balance in multiple parts (three to be exact) and the best place to start is with an exploration of the concept of balance to develop a clear understanding of what it is and why it is needed in every decision you make.
What do you think of first when you think of balance? Do you think about a sense of harmony? Do you think about equality or fairness? Or do you think more abstractly such as balance playing the role of ballast in your decision making? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, suffice it to say you probably have a positive perception of balance and its importance in your life.
I’ve already indicated that I think of balance as essential in everything that I do, but I fully acknowledge that if you are not a believer in the importance of balance, you have one major, seemingly indisputable fact supporting your stance. By definition, if you give something your absolute all, you are imbalanced. Said another way; sometimes, in order to achieve your goals or achieve something special, you have to make sacrifices and at least temporarily forego or spend disproportionately less time on other material aspects of your life.
In my opinion, however, the distinction in these cases is not a question of balance or imbalance. The distinction is whether that imbalance is situational or permanent. A situational imbalance works beautifully if it is paired with a person’s natural equilibrium. In other words, sometimes you can achieve your goals by deliberately disrupting the balance in your life as long as your natural equilibrium eventually brings you back into balance.
For the purpose of this explanation, your natural equilibrium is sort of like your resting heart rate except it applies to your mental and emotional state when there are no external factors or potential disruptors at work. It is a reference to what you naturally seek and
how you naturally feel from a mindset perspective when you are in your comfortable space.
You may, at times, need to put your career first in order to be the best provider for your family. You may need to prioritize your studies to be a great student at the cost of working full-time. Conversely, you may need to miss an important meeting to stay home with a sick child and you may need to pause your studies while you work to earn enough
money to go back to school.
All of these situations require a temporary imbalance which is part of a broader spectrum of decision-making that ultimately relies on your ability to evaluate situations, determine what you need to do to effect a positive outcome, and what you are willing to do or not do to achieve that outcome. So, it could be said that even when you choose to deliberately upset the balance in your life, that choice is made with a full understanding of what you did to achieve that balance in the first place and what you will need to do to re-establish it.
Because your version of balance applies to your life and your decision making, it may look different than my version of balance. However you or I define it, let’s agree that devotion to a great cause or making a commitment to unlock all your potential in pursuit of a life’s goal can also be a form of balance, especially if the effort and the risk are equaled or exceeded by the achievement and the reward.
So, whether your life and your decisions are completely in balance, or deliberately but temporarily out of balance, a consistent and strong understanding of balance requires a great deal of concentration, self-discipline, and purpose; all of which are key components of decision-making. Life, at a basic level, is a miracle. Making the most of that life can be a difficult and daunting task. That task becomes virtually impossible without balance, no matter how you prioritize or define it.
If you prioritize balance on a regular basis, it means that you are taking important steps to ensure that you do not find yourself in an undesirable or unintended situation, such as being overworked and underpaid. Balance in your decision-making helps you ensure that whatever risk you are considering, the potential reward is worth it. Balance brings rationality to a potentially irrational choice, and it pushes you forward when you need to put more effort toward something worthwhile. Balance keeps you on solid ground with a level surface underneath you.
Balance helps you to prepare for the big moments and the most exciting times in your life. You will always be better suited to capitalize on those moments and enjoy those times if you are ready when that opportunity presents itself. Since you often can’t predict exactly when that opportunity will occur, the only way to ensure you are ready is if you have practiced and applied balance in the decisions you make leading up to that moment. When it is time to make that leap, you would like to be focused and in full-stride not standing flat-footed, looking in the wrong direction.
Excitement and anxiety feel so similar it is often difficult to determine which is which. If you have not consistently balanced your thoughts and feelings and evaluated them as part of your balanced decision-making, you won’t know whether to be scared or thrilled when that big moment arrives.
Balance is the bedrock of purposeful decision-making and every question you have has balance in the answer.
In the next installment, I will explore the application of balance and how it permeates not only everything that we decide, but virtually everything we experience on a regular basis. Additionally, what it looks like when it is present and when it is not.
In the last installment, I’ll wrap it up with a summary of the outcomes or results that you can expect to achieve when balance is a regular contributor to your decision making.
