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Balance is Bunk?
By Jeremy | November 14, 2007
The truth is, balance is bunk. It is an unattainable pipe dream, a vain artifice that offers mostly rhetorical solutions to problems of logistics and economics. The quest for balance between work and life, as we've come to think of it, isn't just a losing proposition; it's a hurtful, destructive one. ... There's a better way to think about all this, one that requires us to embrace imbalance. Instead of trying to balance all of our commitments and passions at any one time, let's acknowledge that anything important, and anything done well, demands our full investment. At some times, it may be a demanding child or an unhappy spouse, and the office will suffer. At others, it may be winning the McWhorter account, and child and spouse will have to fend for themselves. Only over time can we really balance a portfolio of diverse experiences.- From Fast Company, Oct 2004. Via. What say you?
Topics: balance, life, quotes | 3 Comments »
November 14th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Although an ‘accountant-type’, no one’s ever accused me of being the poster-child for ‘balance’. LOL. So I largely agree with the premise of ‘focus’ on priorities… not necessarily try to ‘balance’ them all. [Lee Iacocca said to LET stuff drop through the cracks -- the minor stuff.] God’s in control — we needn’t try to juggle & balance everything. He’s given us a mission — not necessarily to ‘accomplish’, but rather, to be found faithfully (being and) DOING to the best of our abilities. So let’s get to know Him, and what He says about all this; and let’s pray… “Teach us Lord to number our days aright… that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
And bottom line… “God grants sleep to those He loves.”
November 15th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Priority is a key here.
What is the priority and value of each component of life?
My concern for anyone who has a demanding life is to see them filter their choices through those values rather than the demand. In my limited experience I have seen that what presents itself as demanding and important, may not be when it is look at in the context of the rest of life. So, the question to me is, within the context of the big picture, what are the priorities? Will they shift based on your season of life?
Then there is another consideration that I believe needs to be filtered into our lives as followers of Christ; that is being verses doing. So is there a difference between being a servant that listens for the voice of the master verses doing His work our own way?
November 15th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Balance is a big topic of discussion in our household (my wife has read most of the good books out there on the subject and lots of research on work and family).
The article is right that balance can’t really be seen at the micro-level. To succeed at anything you have to make choices and trade-offs, or else everything you do will be half-hearted. It’s the long-term trends where we see if balance is there.
The group that struggle most with balance are working women with kids – that’s a big topic.