Tag Archives: balance

“Rather than choose ‘all’ or ‘nothing,’ choose ‘a little something.’”

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“Rather than choose ‘all’ or ‘nothing,’ choose ‘a little something.’”

—Chip & Dan Heath – Decisive

Image from Amazon

It seems like it is necessary to “go big or go home” in order to get attention these days. The noise levels are so high that all in efforts are required to stand out.

How is this approach working for you or others in your personal and professional communities?

Growing up, my parents and grandparents believed that being loud and proud was not the path of a good life, and that humility and doing most things in moderation was the way to go.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life would taking the “a little something” approach be the wisest strategy to pursue? Where would finding a more moderate middle ground offer the right balance you may be seeking?

Friday Review: Balance

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FRIDAY REVIEW: BALANCE

What can and will you do to find and maintain balance in your life? Here are a few balance-related posts you may have missed.

 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

 

 

 

“He who will not economize will have to agonize.”

 

 

 

 

“Tweak the balance between your dance and your march.”

 

 

 

 

“You cannot outrun your fork.”

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“You cannot outrun your fork.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Google

Over the first two weeks of September, Wendy and I had a bucket list adventure with friends. This included visiting Greece, and a 10-day cruise titled “Extreme Israel.”

On most days we walked, hiked, and even climbed around ancient sites and got in plenty of steps.

Upon arriving back on the ship, we were treated to top-notch cuisine provided by the Azamara Cruise Line staff. As you might guess, our forks more than made up for our extreme daily effort, resulting in a few extra pounds and some tighter-fitting clothing!

EXERCISE:

How can you more fully optimize the balance of your nutritional and exercising efforts to improve your health and remain active for many adventurous years to come?

Tweak the balance between your dance and your march

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“Tweak the balance between your dance and your march.”

—Michael Bungay Stainer, Founder of BoxofCrayons

Image from Unspash by Sarah X Sharp

What comes to mind when you consider the word dance? For me, it’s playful, fun-loving, and self-expressed.

Now what about the word march? Perhaps thoughts of the military, or simply disciplined work not necessarily of your choice come to mind.

As a young boy in grade school, the though that I could or should not play until all the work was done was prominent.

EXERCISE:

Given that for most of us the work never seems to be done, where would tweaking your own dance/march ratios make the biggest difference?

How might you bring more play to your work, or dance into a more enjoyable and productive life?

economize or agonize

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“He who will not economize will have to agonize.”

—Confucius, ancient Chinese Philosopher

Image of rocks balanced on a plane

Image from LinkedIn

Over many years of coaching, I’ve noticed several interesting trends.

In general, my clients in their twenties, thirties, and forties are most often on a highly intentional growth trajectory. They want to build wealth, pursue success, and increase their standard of living. This almost always involves accumulating possessions, and often increases the demands and complexity of their lives.

As they reach their fifties, sixties, and seventies, they seem to be more focused on scaling back, simplification, and greater balance. It is often because their many years of living in the fast lane, carrying too much stuff and stress, has become more of a burden than they care to shoulder going forward.

EXERCISE:

Where would a “less is more” strategy, regardless of your stage of life, provide you the added freedom and peace of mind you desire?

Life is like riding a bicycle

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“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

-Albert Einstein

image from Unsplash by Pazos Bordon

image from Unsplash by Santiago Pazos Bordon

Take a moment to recall the day you learned to ride a bicycle. If you cannot recall this event, perhaps the experience of teaching your own children is more vivid in your mind.

Sitting on a bike in a stationary position is never an option, although at first it might appear a safe way to proceed.

Only with some speed and forward momentum does the elusive concept of balance become apparent, with all sorts of new places to visit and explore!

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional worlds have you lost your sense of balance because of lack of movement?

Where would forging forward help you regain the balance you deeply desire?

#116: “Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their personalities…”

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“…but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes their faults seem insignificant.”

– Charles A. Cerami, author

Many years ago, I read an article in a magazine entitled “Life Balance is Bunk!”

When I work with clients, many indicate that living a balanced life is one of their primary objectives. But if you study the world of personal and professional high achievement, you’ll find two things.

First, high achievers lead very imbalanced lives. Second, they are very happy and have actually chosen this imbalance at this point in their lives.

Exercise:

Rebalance your life by adding more of some things and reducing – or even stopping – certain other activities. If you do this exercise often, you will find that you too will have a somewhat unbalanced but happier life.

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