Balance is Underrated

Many authors today argue that we should constantly push ourselves. They argue that if we aren’t sacrificing everything for our goals, then we aren’t trying.

But this is nonsense. The effort approach to improvement has its place but is no way the only way to achieve. In fact, it isn’t even the best way to succeed. 

In order to see true, lasting results we need to be able to sustain the effort we put forth. We can’t always be on the extreme end. It isn’t sustainable and therefore won’t allow us to fully leverage time. But leveraging time is a classic approach to grow exponentially. 

Think of compound interest in investing or the general career path most take where they start and learn in lesser roles and work their way up. In these instances, time isn’t something to be ignored. It is to be harnessed. 

In the systems and habits approach to improvement the focus is on using this insight to carve out our routines and actions in a way that creates future value for efforts today. Because our efforts today won’t produce results immediately, we can’t burn out by trying constantly pushing ourselves. 

Instead, we need to learn how to build habits that we can push. If we can form the habit to workout everyday, we can use motivational bursts to push ourselves. But when those motivational bursts turn into a tired, unmotivated body, we still complete the workout. 

This allows us to push ourselves, but it isn’t our strategy. It is a bonus. It helps us grow and realize we can do more. But in between those moments we still continue on the right path. 

To me this represents balance. Being in balance means that there will be times when you are energetic and times when you are lethargic. There will be times when breathing is easy and times when breathing becomes difficult. 

Lao Tzu claimed that in the 29th verse of the Tao Te Ching 2,500 years ago and it still rings true today. To be in balance is the pendulum swinging back and forth. Most want the pendulum to keep going and going on one side without the counterforce. But that counterforce is natural and unavoidable. 

Or they assume balance happens when the pendulum stops. They say balance is that stillness between the edges. But balance can be movement as much as it can be stillness. Politics often represents this as one party’s power fades and the opposing party gains traction. Give it time and the inevitable screams for change emerge once again. 

Instead of avoiding balance to live in the extremes, we should harness its ability to bring improvement over long stretches. By finding the right balance we can take initiative to move project forward by pushing our team. We can push our workouts to grow harder and harder over time. We can grind it out to become a better version of ourselves. 

To me, that is balance. That is finding the benefits of the extremes while keeping the perspective on balance so it can sustain. Realizing counterforce is inevitable but still designing a system to thrive overcomes any benefit gained by trying to remain pushed beyond equilibrium. It also calms the mind and allows us to have push days and rest days without guilt. 

Even though it is popular to argue the benefits of pushing for 10 times our goals or doing everything to win now at all costs, this is ignoring the systems in life that say sustainability resides in having the wisdom within balance to keep improving. Not sacrificing that improvement for a gamble on a get rich scheme or chance at sudden glory. Rarely does that work out long term.