Balance? What balance?

You've heard your co-workers say it. In fact, you may have said it yourself.
It's a classic workplace rhetorical question.

"Balance? What balance?"

There can be several different things involved, sure.
More often than not however, what keeps many people from achieving balance is the perceived badge of honor that goes with not having it.

We like talking about the load we carry at work. We like talking about the load we carry outside of work.

And talk has a way of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't it.

If you say you have no balance in your life --- especially in a way that smacks of proud self-righteousness --- turning around and trying to achieve the balance you just looked down on becomes downright hypocritical. Wimpy even.

Pono is about rightness, not righteousness. Big difference.

Putting balance in the proper perspective may be the biggest gift we can give ourselves (and to the people who put up with us).

If you're going to have a self-fulfilling prophecy, make it a good one.

Photo via Flickr by brokenchopstick

---

Our value for the month of January is Pono, the Hawaiian value of rightness, balance, and integrity.

This is article number 6, and if you are just joining us, jump right in! Or if you are an orderly sort of person, start here: Pono and the Why of Right.

An Update: Looks like David Zinger, (who so kindly commented here for me yesterday), and I were serendipitously connected in our thinking. I notice David posted this article on Slacker Manager today: 8 Simple Rules to Solve Work/Life Balance. Jumping out at me was his distinction of "dynamic balance" for we'll talk more about that as our discussions on Pono this month continue.

Comments

[David Zinger]

Rosa,
You were in the garden, I was in the snow, yet both of us were in dynamic balance.
David