“Okay, so I just gotta know…. how do you keep it all in balance?”
The question came in response to this article in which I spoke of several new and important ventures in my life. I doubt that you would be shocked if I tell you that I answered the question with a question.
Or two…
The first question I asked, of course, was, “What all are you attempting to balance?” The second was, “What makes you assume that I’m trying to balance all of that stuff?!”
You see, I really am NOT attempting to juggle the myriad expectations that this gentleman was; especially the truckload of toys he felt he needed, and the small mountain of anxiety that had been left at his doorstep by others… things that are completely unreasonable, or that those others should be doing themselves.
And truth be told, my own stuff is really not always balanced all that well.
That’s just the way it is sometimes… life is kinda like that. We expect that we go through seasons, and there can be enormous changes in our priorities, activities, and responsibilities during those times.
Balance? Sometimes, I suppose. Sometimes not.
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Here’s a visual…
Though I grew up in the city, most all of our relatives grew up in agricultural or rural communities within an hour or so of our home. I remember as a kid spending a great deal of time visiting one or another of the family farms, and as anyone knows who has lived in that environment… there is plenty of work to be done year-around.
However, at various seasons… like at seed-time or harvest… it was just nuts.
You got the planting done when the weather was just right in the Spring… and you got the crops in at the opportune moment in the Fall… or you could lose it all.
Everything… and it’s the same with many of the opportunities in our lives today.
Balance? Sometimes… sometimes not.
In fact, the easiest way that I have found to balance certain activities is to leave them off the scale altogether. It becomes A, B, and C…
A = Must do
B = Would be nice to do, and
C = Fantasyland
So, what are the A’s?
The A’s are where the impact lives. They are the actions that can only be taken by us… that can’t be delegated… that are critical to the success of our most important missions…
AND…
The activities that safeguard our spiritual and family relationships. Just my opinion, but I don’t believe it does much good to achieve our greatest dreams or conquer our greatest fears, only to sacrifice our faith or family… those relationships that we’ve been charged to protect.
But outside of those, sometimes I just let the scales tip… or allow someone else to help carry the load. Yes, again, just my opinion… but it seems a much better path than ending up in Fantasyland, playing with all those toys alone.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
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