8 A BALANCED LIFE

“The truth is, balance is bunk. It is an unattainable pipe

dream... . The quest for balance between work and life, as

we’ve come to think of it, isn’t just a losing proposition; it’s

a hurtful, destructive one.”

—Keith  H.  Hammonds

Nothing ever achieves absolute balance. Nothing. No matter how
imperceptible it might be, what appears to be a state of balance is
something entirely different— an act of balancing. Viewed wistfully
as a noun, balance is lived practically as a verb. Seen as something we
ultimately attain, balance is actually something we constantly do. A
“balanced life” is a myth—a misleading concept most accept as a
worthy and attainable goal without ever stopping to truly consider it. I
want you to consider it. I want you to challenge it. I want you to reject
it.
A balanced life is a lie.
The idea of balance is exactly that—an idea. In philosophy “the
golden mean” is the moderate middle between polar extremes, a
concept used to describe a place between two positions that is more
desirable than one state or the other. This is a grand idea, but not a
very practical one. Idealistic, but not realistic. Balance doesn’t exist.
This is tough to conceive, much less believe, mainly because one
of the most frequent laments is “I need more balance,” a common
mantra for what’s missing in most lives. We hear about balance so
much we automatically assume it’s exactly what we should be
seeking. It’s not. Purpose, meaning, significance—these are what
make a successful life. Seek them and you will most certainly live
your life out of balance, criss-crossing an invisible middle line as you
pursue your priorities. The act of living a full life by giving time to