Achieving Balance
Why is it that when people think of success, they often focus on just the financial aspect and neglect to think on the other areas you can become successful in?
I used to want to make lots of money, as much as I could in fact, and this was my modus operandi for becoming successful. However, my reasons for achieving success have really changed over the past few years. I still wouldn’t mind making lots of money, of course. I’d be lying to you if I said I did. It is simply no longer my main focus. I realized that the only way to really stay happy in life is to maintain a balance.
Maintaining a balance is in my mind a very difficult concept to grasp. Balance includes moderation, restraint, and patience, attributes many of us find lacking in our lives. If we were to make millions of dollars, how many of us would honestly make saving one of our top priorities? If we don’t do it now, how do we know we will do it then? The temptation to spend it all on high-cost, low value items is very appealing when you have more than enough money to spend.
Balance also requires sacrifice. One of the most vital lessons I have learned once I graduated college is that I can’t possibly do everything that I want to do. There are a ton of things that I enjoy, like exercising, sports, video games, television, socializing, taking trips, writing this blog… the list goes on and on. On the other hand, there are responsibilities that I need to take care of both big and small, such as working, studying, cleaning, getting gas, going to church, sleeping… again the list is expansive. I don’t make nearly enough money and there is not enough time in the day, week, month, or year to do all of these things properly and consistently; therefore I must choose which are important and which I must either put off or give up completely.
Finally, balance calls for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, something that is surprisingly difficult for some. People spend their entire lives working countless hours while neglecting themselves, their families, and their dreams and goals. While some do have legitimate reasons for doing so, are these people really happy that they spend most or all of their time on one or two priorities and neglecting the rest? To me, making the time for activities outside of creating wealth is equally as (if not more important than) the wealth-creating activities themselves. I may not place a higher priority on my extracurricular activities than I do work, but I do make it a priority and do my best to balance it out.
Achieving balance is tough. It asks a lot of us, especially in the restraint department. We also have to make tough choices on what really matters most to us. But look at it this way: If it was really that easy, wouldn’t everyone achieve balance, and thus become successful in every area of their lives?
