Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Finding The “B” Spot – Part 1
Hey hey, doesn’t this title sound a little bit, erm, naughty? I’m just hoping to lighten things up, before I go into the real deal.
What’s the “B” spot? Before I give you the answer, I’d like you to imagine this scenario, and see if you could place your bingo on this spot!
The scenario:
You feel the tightness in your chest. You really want to ace that promotion which means a big deal to 1) your authority, 2) your paycheck and 3) your reputation. You need to put in 100% or maybe more so that you can beat all your competitors and make the gap between you so huge that they can never hope to catch up.
Now there’s a worry. Your wife has been complaining, not once, but many times over the last few months, that you are treating home as a hotel. You have forgotten to bring the kids home from school after promising to do so, and you are not listening to her. You yearn for the warmth you used to feel at home, but at the same time, time is what you don’t have much to spare for now.
And if you were to get that promotion, that will mean even lesser time for family and health. You foresee that you will be working very, very hard, more so than you are now.
The dilemma – where is the “B” spot? How can you find it, and when you do, how do you maintain it?
Life is hectic. Yet life is challenging. Yet, life is full of hope and surprises. You just need to go and find that balance so that you can have the cake and eat it too!
Yes, “B” is for “Balance”.
I was looking at how cyclists balance themselves on two wheels, and thought – when we are learning how to cycle, it’s about finding that balancing point. You fall and bleed during the process. But when you do find it, you feel liberated. You feel free. You can ride away and enjoy the breeze, the speed and the momentum.
Then you turn and look at those who don’t know how to cycle, and you wonder what they have missed out in this world.
Finding balance in life is the same. You need to know - where are the areas you will fall when you don’t exert strength on? Which are the ones that will snap when you don’t pay attention to? How can you have both speed and safety at the same time? At times you notice that, in order to have safety, you need to compromise on speed. This is what we call by finding the balance.
Making compromises are necessary in life. You need to know what your priorities and goals are and how you want to reach them.
You could arrive in style, or you could arrive in chaos. Which do you choose?
Family or career? Or family and career?
Only when you are sure which choice to make then you can make that happen. In Part 2, I’ll show you how to have your cake and eat it too!