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| Favorite climbing gym in Singapore... Lots of balance needed here! |
One of the greatest challenges I face in life is that of
balance. It is this state of being
that appears to be quite elusive for me.
When I feel like I am getting closer, it is not so much that my life is
in perfect balance. It is more as
if my life is standing still. When
things become balanced, one of our major human needs is put in serious jeopardy
– growth. It is actually a very
interesting paradox. We spend our
lives in pursuit to achieve balance, yet if we were to ever really achieve
balance, we lose the major need of growth in our lives. Many times our focus is
on the attainment of balance rather than the pursuit of greatness. Which do you feel is a more worthy goal
– achievement of comfort and balance or the pursuit of excellence in all areas
of our life? It is not too much of
a challenge to be great at one thing, but how about making it your life purpose
to be great at ALL things that matter – being a great mother, father, lover,
friend, influencer, financial steward, philanthropist, and health and wellness
enthusiast?
I find life to be a lot like spinning plates. Do you remember seeing the person at
the circus or on television who starts with one plate on a stick and starts to
spin it? Then once he gets that
one plate spinning, he adds another and another and another? This continues
until he has a dozen or more plates all spinning and he bounces from one to
another to maintain its spinning.
If he focuses on one too long, the others start to wobble and will fall
if neglected for too long. If he
focuses on the big picture and the mission of keeping all the plates spinning,
he bounces back and forth from plate to plate to maintain the momentum. No plate spins at maximal speed, yet the goal is for all of the plates to spin smoothly and efficiently to create balance. The reality is that some of the plates will struggle at times to maintain momentum. Some will wobble and "call out" for help. Others will seem to spin a bit more effortlessly and require less attention. It is a constant juggling act. The one that gets the
immediate attention is always going to spin the fastest whereas the others will
be slightly slower until the attention is put on them.
So it is with life. I don’t believe we can ever achieve perfect balance in
life. Not as long as you want to grow, lead, and inspire and create a massive
impact on the lives of your family and community. It is a major challenge for me to create incredible
success in all areas of my life at the same time. At times, I find myself putting more focus on my health and
fitness, other times on my business, and others on my social circle. I have not mastered the art of the
spinning plates yet. One plate at
a time, step by step, continually looking to add another plate to the mix while
keeping them all spinning, I will get there. Hopefully I will have it mastered before all the plates
coming crashing down. But you know
what? Even if the worst case scenario happens and I drop some of my plates,
there will be another set to try with again. The only way to get there is to throw the plates up and give
it my best shot. If you need me,
you can find me in the plate aisle at the store.
Love,
Matt
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