The picture above is me attempting to balance in a handstand (check this one out) but if I’m being honest, (she’s not going to love that I’m sharing this) my wife can ride a unicycle and is much better at balancing than I am. This blog is about a different kind of balance and on a more serious note, on a more serious note, one of the reasons that I made the leap to entrepreneurship was to find a better balance in life. While the intention was a good one, I’m beginning to realize that balance is elusive and not something that we “find,” but something that we “do.”
This blog is a new take on what balance looks like in life and I hope that it’s helpful for you.
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It’s a Process
For the longest time (my entire life) I heard people talk about balance as if it was something could be attained; something that we could work toward and grab onto. I understand that sentiment but now see that balance is much more elusive and dynamic than we give it credit for. Balance isn’t an outcome; it’s the process.
It’s a Noun Verb
For that reason, we should think less about “finding balance” and more about managing imbalance (i.e. balancing).
In this very moment as you read this sentence, this is the youngest that you’ll ever be and in that respect time is linear, however, life is not. While we often think of life happening in a straight line, there are natural highs and lows; ebbs and flows. Most life is out of our control and that creates imbalance (i.e things are not how we would like them to be).
It’s Dynamic
Balancing well begins with understanding the path that you’d like to be on and being intentional about moving in that direction despite being knocked off course. It requires a certain level of acceptance that we’ll all be managing imbalance for as long as we live and there is no such thing s sustained, perfect balance. Managing the imbalance of life requires a level of awareness, dedication, commitment and persistence. It’s not easy and it looks different for everyone. Like Lao Tzu once said, “if you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
It’s Complicated
To further complicate this concept, let’s quickly consider that life is multidimensional and we all have various areas that we are all simultaneously balancing (e.g. relationships, career goals, hobbies, finances, etc.). Through that lens, it might seem like life is a lot like juggling, but let me share a series of graphic and caption to give a more complete picture.
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I’m aware that this blog covered a more complex, individualized and ambiguous topic than some others. If you want to dive even deeper into the science behind chaos and balance, read this. Otherwise, I hope that something above was valuable to you as you think about balancing life. If nothing else, I hope that this blog is an encouragement that even if life feels out of balance right now, that’s normal and you’re in the driver’s seat from here.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Viktor Frankl
Keep on balancing.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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