The Balance Game

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for Balance in your life.” Those words are attributed to Brian Dyson, former CEO of Coca-Cola from a commencement speech to a Georgia Tech graduating class.

What a balanced life mean to you? Many people believe that balance means equal time. Is it logical to think that spending equal time in all the areas of life, Spiritual, Family, Career, Health, Mental, Financial, and Social makes sense? Many people unfairly equate equal and fair to be the same thing. It isn’t!

Let’s take a look at someone who may be starting a new business, or is committed to going to the highest level in the organization that can be attained in order to be a great provider for the family The investment of time required for high level achievement may be fourteen, fifteen hour days. Since a day is only 24 hours long, no matter how we attempt to stretch it, can we even begin to think that an equal amount of time with the family or other aspects of life can be spent in the same day? Noooo.  

The answer presented by Ivan Misner, founder of Business Network International is quite simple. It is impossible to spread equal time across a day, week, or month. What an industrious person can do is follow Dr. Misner’s practice, “Wherever you are, be there.” It is so simple. Leave the office at the office when you are with your family. Focus on your family. Shut the crackberry off! When you are with your family, be with your family. When you are spiritually connected, focus 100% on God. When you are spending time improving your health, focus on that activity completely. “Wherever you are, be there.” You can do it!

Brian Kennedy is a speaker and coach to individuals and organizations for the purpose of achieving peak performance. You can learn more about Brian’s speaking, performance improvement workshops, and coaching at http://www.1wp.com/go/briankennedyglobal