Article: Balance

To be balanced is a good thing. Here’s to a balanced diet; a balanced bank account; balanced wheels; a balanced life of work, rest and play … Imbalance causes unhappiness and illness. “All play and no work makes Jack a jerk” etc. If you’d like to do a quick survey to measure your own balance see resources

If you’re pretty well balanced, congratulations. However, beware. You may be in the company of the garden gnome, the building and the broiled lobster. Balanced and going nowhere. Being perfectly balanced means being static. Plus, you’ll only be balanced until your environment changes and then you’ll go wherever the student, the earthquake or the seafood enthusiast takes you.

This is the reality – we live in dynamic environments so our balance needs to be dynamic. Tight wire walkers are impressive, slackliners even more so (see Leo Houlding in slacklining action on any video sharing website). Their balance is dynamic – changing in a blur to make progress in an unstable environment.

Our environment is as dynamic as a slackline. Our work changes, people change, prices change our health changes… We have to be highly dynamic to maintain progress. We also need to be accepting of this change if we are to enjoy the journey. Our unhappiness is usually caused either by our lack of response to change or our unwillingness to accept change.

Balance is a great thing and it has to be renewed continually. How to do this in practice?

Can you ride a bike? Can you ride a bike with a bucket right over your head? I just tried it and it’s jolly tricky. I didn’t make it off the drive. All I could see was part of the handlebars and front wheel. Balance is much harder when our field of view is narrow and our focus tight. Notice Leo’s distant point of focus in the below clip. Close focus is really important - without it our mind is divided and our performance is reduced - but unless we scope out regularly and see the bigger picture we lose our balance.

Seeing the big picture enables us to renew our balance. It allows us to orientate ourselves by fixed points (e.g. deadlines, birthdays, death) and to anticipate approaching changes (e.g. office tension, moods, ageing).

What do you do that helps you renew your balance? Maybe it’s your regular days off, your study time, the conferences you attend, your daily time out to think, your prayer. What can you do to protect, increase and enhance these times?

Who is it that helps you renew your balance? How often do you spend time with them? What could you do to increase the frequency and quality of your meetings?

A good life coach will enable you to develop the disciplines, skills, habits and relationships you need for balance and contentment in your dynamic environment.