Screw Balance

It is WayMaker Wednesday. Time to kill the myth that is quietly making you average at everything and exceptional at nothing.

The Question

Are you pursuing balance because it is what you actually need, or because someone told you it is what a responsible person does?

The Thought

Balance means give everything equal attention. Your marriage gets the same energy as your workout. Your business gets the same hours as your hobbies.

That sounds reasonable until you realize it makes you mediocre at everything.

Life does not work in equal slices. It works in seasons. There are seasons where your business needs sixteen-hour days and your spouse needs to know you are coming back. Seasons where your kids need you fully present and your inbox needs to wait.

A symphony is not every instrument at the same volume. It is the right instrument at the right moment at the right intensity. You are the conductor. Your job is not equal distribution. Your job is knowing what this season demands.

Screw balance. Pursue harmony.

Put It Into Action

Name the season you are in right now. Not the one you wish you were in.

• What does this season demand? Name the ONE area that needs your disproportionate energy.

- What needs to rest? Name what you will intentionally give less to — not abandon, but reduce.

- Ask: "Who needs to know what season I am in?" Tell them. Context kills resentment.

• If you are exhausted, you are trying to play every instrument. Conduct instead.

Know someone drowning in the myth of balance? Send them this. The permission to stop splitting themselves equally might be exactly what they need.

Forge Forward,

Jon Mayo