Mastery and Balance

As I’m sure many of you have noticed, I’ve slowed down a lot on the blog postings. Despite my goal of “a post a day”, I’ve realized that I just don’t have time for all the things I want to do in a given day without sacrificing something.

What is the thing slowing me down lately from what I want to do? Well, as you probably guessed based on the content of my recent blogs, it’s mostly the whole fitness thing. Relentlessly tracking food intake, hitting the gym, and living an active lifestyle takes a lot of time and mental effort. An overwhelming amount at first, but the amount required seems to be tapering off as I grow more comfortable with my new habits.

But in all of this, the quest for balance continues. I want enough time for my family. For my wife. For my blog. For my work. For my hobbies. Can I do it all in one day? One week? How do I achieve balance in so many areas of my life?

The further I get along as an adult, the more I’m starting to realize that, at least temporarily, one must become unbalanced to regain balance in life. As a for-instance, during college we spend an inordinate amount of time on studying and in class so that we can have the fundamental knowledge necessary to survive and do well in our chosen professions. Once in the workplace, the hard work in school simply fades back to quiet mastery of the subject at hand.

The same lesson seems to apply to physical fitness. I’ve simply never been a fit person, nor have I ever established a long-term routine, gained the background knowledge, or even developed enough of an interest in the topic to be effective at keeping myself fit. Now that I’ve realized some of the benefits, I’ve been consuming information like a starving man consumes food after a long fast.

Isn’t that the way it is with so much of life? To achieve true balance, I first must be unbalanced in order to gain mastery over an area of my life. Then once I’ve gained that mastery, the confidence and competence that come with such wisdom allow me to re-establish a new sense of order, with the new-found knowledge taking its place as part of a harmonious lifestyle.

I think I’ll come through it much better for the effort. But to achieve my long-term goals, in the short-term I’ve had to sacrifice some of my favorite pleasures. Thanks for hanging with me through the intermittent silence and myopic focus I’ve had lately.

–Matt B.