You Have to be Flexible

Let’s head into the weekend with a dose of reality that I’m sure we all need. I’ll keep this one short and sweet, as Fridays should be.

There seems to be this misconceived notion of what balance is. That it means you always prep your meals on Sunday or cook something healthy every day after work.

When we think of someone who has a balanced life, we often picture people who always start their day on time, make a green smoothie before running to the gym for a full workout and then getting through the rest of the day seamlessly.

We think that balanced means perfect. But that’s not what it means.
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A life of balance is all about a life of flexibility. Being willing to adapt and change as new challenges arrive. It means sometimes deciding to publish a blog post later for the sake of getting the sleep you need. It means accepting that for every high, there will be a low and visa versa.

Balance calls for giving and taking. Erin did a great job at summing this up. In Shonda Rhime’s book Year of Yes (which is an amazing read), she says that when people ask her how she balances it all, she tells them that she doesn’t. That when she is winning in one area, she is likely failing in another.

Temporarily failing, but failing nonetheless.

This is balance. Be flexible and kind to yourself as you work your way through life’s wins, loses, successes and failures.