Harmony vs. Balance

Have you ever tried to balance the different areas of your life? While finding the right amount of time and effort for the parts of our lives is important, relating to this challenge as a balancing act is limiting. Balance frames things as a competition, with separate areas fighting for time and attention.  

In contrast, harmony is integrated, and frames things as supporting one another. Just as the musical notes can harmonize to produce a chord, the different parts of our lives can strengthen and beautify one another. 

Asking, “How can I balance my family life with work?” only gets me so far. I’ve found it more fruitful to ask questions like this instead: “How can I show up in my work life in ways that would lead me to be a better husband and father?” or, “How can I live my family life in ways that will lead me to become a better professional?” 

This week I invite you to practice harmonizing your life by meditating on the following: 

What are the various aspects of my life that I am trying to balance? (I invite you to get granular here. For example, divide a general area like family life into my relationship with my spouse, my mom, my son, etc.) 

Pick a particular aspect of your life. How could you show up to this part of your life in ways that would make you better in other areas as well? (Here’s a personal example: How might staying in touch with my siblings weekly be the occasion for my showing up better in my work as well?) 

God bless,
Dan