The inclusion of negatives that are irrelevant or trivial is evidence of bias, not balance.
Balance for the sake of complete understanding is justifiable; balance for the sake of matching positives with negatives is not.
Voluntary simplicity means going fewer places in one day rather than more, seeing less so I can see more, doing less so I can do more, acquiring less so I can have more.
Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.
Life can’t be in balance or much of the greatness in the world wouldn’t happen. However, spirituality should be in balance. In fact, if a person is spiritually balanced then they can make it through all the uncertain twists and turns in life.
There is a difference between doing what needs to be done and doing everything, and the person who knows how to see what needs to be done most is often the most productive in the end. This doesn’t mean living in panic, chaos or stress. It doesn’t even mean constantly living in an urgent mindset. It means acknowledging what or who needs your attention next. That’s all.
Maybe the question isn’t how much should be on our plate but how many plates we should actually have. Depending on how well we have mastered the art of spinning plates will likely determine how many plates we can have. Practicing at prioritizing and taking deliberate action creates increased capacity.
So people talk about work-life balance, meaning they want to prefer their personal life over their work life. They don’t want work to overtake in importance things like friends, family, and experiences. This isn't balance; it's preferring your personal life over your work. This isn’t only the wrong answer, it’s the wrong question. The right question is “How can I have an exceptional work life AND an exceptional personal life?”