balance…
We hear it everywhere… “I need more balance in my life.” “Lifeis a balancing act.” “Life/Work balance”
Balance implies an equality between things or forces. Imagine a see-saw and picutre 2 things that you are trying to balance… can you feel the back and forth, the ebb and flow of trying to get it just right, so that they are balanced. For example: time with kids vs. time at work? Using the measure of time for balance is difficult here, because there aren’t enough hours in a day to make the time for each one equal. (especially if your kids go to school or if you want to sleep).
Balance using this criteria is impossible. What if we used the word “harmony.” My friend, Susan Brady, the Corner Coach, uses this word in her mission statement. She was the first person to suggest to me that balance is impossible and challenged me to seek harmony.
These few words were revolutionary for me… freeing- since i could get off the see-saw, and invigorating, because I love harmony.
Have you listened to a great accapella group? The way their voices blend to create melody and harmonize to create texture, interest, & variance in a song? I love that type of music. One note or two notes sound like chopsticks and that can get old fast! But multiple notes, in just the right place, with emphasis and voice at just the right time… that is music!
Life as music… seeking harmony instead of balance! Wow!
I can see how my life, priorities and commitments can fit on that scale… since they don’t have to be “equal” but rather in tune with one another, giving the best combination of unequal but harmonious parts.
This simple shift freed me to let things flow, rather than striving to keep things in balance. Harmony means working together for a common goal, and that provides a better template for evaluating my commitments & responsibilites. In short, I can stop trying so hard to keep a balance or equality and begin to weave together the things in my life to exist in harmony. Thanks, Susan!
What would harmony look like in your life?