The flattening of our world facilitated by the rise of nearly instantaneous information flow has brought  balance  to the forefront of all of our lives.  Unfortunately, many individuals have yet to realize the importance of dealing with this topic.  While life both in and out of the workplace has always involved trade offs, the hyper-connectivity of today’s environment has massively increased the number and frequency of these trade offs. We have an expanded number of choices we must make each and every day.  People are struggling with this increase in choice freedom.

In my opinion, due to this expansion of choices, balance will become the most important topic over the twenty years.  Historically, the recipe for success is well defined:  work hard in school, get in to a good college, take a good job, get married, work until you’re 65, retire someplace warm, and enjoy life. That recipe is not working for many.  The increased number of choices and trade offs are not factored in to the traditional model.  Individuals are trying to “do it all” when faced with an unmanageable number of “requirements”.  They are struggling as it is simply not possible to avoid the choice issue by working harder and doing everything.

Conscious focus on balance is the key to dealing with the expansion of choices.  Only when one steps back, evaluates what is important to them, and accepts that you must make trade offs, are they able to realize a sense of personal satisfaction.  Only when they define success and identify how to balance conflicting priorities are they able to find peace of mind.

With that in mind:

Have you taken the time to define what your balanced life looks like?

As always, thanks for the time.