Balance

Balance is one of those fun buzz words that most people use but not everyone understands.  On the surface it’s easy to say that balance is doing some of one thing and some of another but not too much or too little of either.  That is simplistically true, but it’s so hard to identify.

I have a few identifiers that tell me when my balance is off.  The first that I identified is my health.  Major health problems are obvious, but I look for minor things.  Being tired and cranky are tip offs.  Also, when I start snoring more then I’m getting stressed.

So I spend time reading two or three books at a time.  The fun book is always easy to pick up, but if I don’t feel like reading the learning book a few times a week then I know that I’m pushing hard at work.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m out of balance, but it means that I might be.

I can look at the number of projects that I’m getting done around the house.  I can see how I’m treating my friends and family.  I can see how much enjoyment that I get from my downtime activities.

In short, you have to pay attention constantly if you want to stay in balance.  None of those indicators are obvious enough to see when you’re not looking.  I know the things that change in me when I’m out of balance, the trick is looking for them.