Balance

Have you ever noticed how often people talk about needing more balance in their lives? It’s like we are on a never-ending quest for work/life balance.

I used to think balance was about proper allotments of time and energy to key aspects of life would increase my happiness. Being a rule follower, I gave my physical health focus by exercising and eating well, meditating for mental and spiritual wellbeing, and keeping my family and social connections strong. Of course, work was always the biggest challenge — I tried to keep reasonable hours but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Daily balance may not always be doable, but if I looked at my overall efforts over a week I could call it balanced.

But did that ever really raise my happiness level? Satisfy me more? Not really.

When I’m really honest with myself, I admit that some of my happiest times are when I’m wildly out of balance. When I’m in a creative flow, I am all in 100%. I let food and exercise slide, may not see family and friends much, and my sleep gets out of whack. But when I’m in the flow I feel more optimistic, connected and alive — I love it!

I’m also seeing balance as longer game than I used to. Maybe its not about daily, weekly or monthly measurement. Maybe balance comes over a lifetime. Lifestages have a tendency to pull our focus in different directions. An overwhelmed parent may seem out of balance on a daily basis, but the much longer empty nest years balance that out. Maybe blanace is something best judged from a rearview mirror.

I’m not saying I want to be irresponsible or let my health go or become a hermit. But balance just may be about allowing room for imbalance too.