Balancing Life

Life is complicated. We all have many things pulling at us at all times. It could be the pull of our attention to an advertisement. It could be the pull from a job to keep working. It could be the pull the spend more time with family.

We also have a pull to exercise and get healthy. We have a pull to save more money and pay off debt. We have a pull to treat ourselves and celebrate successes.

We all know about these competing priorities. We know about the fleeting motivation and the ebbs and flows of our focus throughout life.

This is why we all have to learn how to balance priorities. We have to learn how to carve out time for the important things. If we don’t, then we don’t control what we do with our lives. Instead we simply go through the motions, hoping for the best.

If we don’t actively balance our life, then we are likely to move to extremes. It could be extreme efforts at work to get ahead. Those could crush our personal relationships and family responsibilities.

It could be an extreme desire for instant gratification. We start to feel that now is the only moment that matters so we try to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

The problem is that life isn’t meant to reside on the extremes. We should balance these factors. This allows us pleasure and happiness but also makes sure we work to improve.

It may be difficult to find balance, but it is necessary. It will help us avoid burnout. It will help us avoid looking back with regret over the neglect of important aspects of life.

The systems and habits approach to improvement supports the idea of balance. It doesn’t require extreme motivation. It doesn’t need extreme lifestyle changes.

Instead, it works to slowly and methodically incorporate positive habits into your life. It allows you to take back control over the outside distraction. It gets you to focus on how to improve automatically.

This contrasts with many products in the market. Fitness equipment manufacturers know that they have to sell products based on extreme results. They know they have to give you an emotional boost of motivation so you purchase their products.

Even alcohol advertisements use this. They show you some beach full of attractive people having fun. They tell you to live in the moment and enjoy their product, you deserve it.

With all of this manipulation, it is easy to get overwhelmed. It is easy to give up and just go with it. But that doesn’t result in a content, successful life. It results in chasing happiness. We see the next advertisement as the key to finally being happy.

Balance is the key. Balance helps to deter these extreme efforts to pull you in the direction that benefits them. It helps see the reality instead of the view through rose-colored glasses.

It helps you carve out time to work. It helps you focus on pleasure without moving to extremes that damage other areas. It allows you to comfortably live in the balance between many areas, improving, growing but remaining content and satisfied with life.