Walking a Tightrope as a Metaphor for Life…
I have been thinking a lot about balance lately, and the two definitive conclusions I have come up with are:
- You are never balanced; you are always balancing. Balance is a state of being. Balancing is an activity, a practice, a discipline, something that you must DO every day.
- When balancing, and walking the tightrope of life, you must always put one foot in front of the other.
Imagine This…
Laying on the ground in front of you is fifty feet of rope and you are asked to walk the rope. Simple, right? You would handle this without giving it a second thought.
Now take this rope and attach it between two trees, three feet off the ground. It’s a little more difficult, but you would still have no troubles navigating that fifty feet of rope. Sure, you may stumble and may even fall off the rope, but you would instantly get back up and pick up where you left off.
Now Picture This…
Take that rope and tightly string it between two mountain peaks more than 1,000 feet in the air. Now how do you feel? Have the risks increased? There is much more to lose now if you have a misstep or fall.
The process of walking the tight rope, putting one foot in front of the other, is exactly the same if the rope is on the ground or 1,000 feet in the air, so why have things changed so dramatically?
‘Balance’ is Never Achieved… But You Are Always ‘Balancing’
As you navigate through life you will face hundreds of situations every day. Life is indeed like a tightrope walk. If you lean too far to one side, you are bound to fall.
So, you are constantly swaying from side to side and, as a result, things will never be in perfect balance. Let’s take one of the ‘hot button’ issues right now: the work-life balance debate as an example.
I don’t fully buy into the whole work-life balance thing—to me, it is just life, and everyone is at a different stage in their life.
I love my family, and I love, my business of, helping, supporting, and inspiring other people. For me, one doesn’t suffer at the hands of the other, in fact both can add fuel to support and uplift each of these areas of my life.
At different stages of your life you will be on one side or the other of the tight rope, and that’s ok.
Perhaps you may be ‘leaning into’ a new business venture (i.e. building a website, learning WordPress, writing copy, creating videos, coaching others, creating new presentations, developing marketing campaigns).
While all these activities may leave you feeling overwhelmed, out of your element, putting in 18 hour days, there will come a time when you magically reach a tipping point and you start achieving a new level of proficiency.
Of course, things can get crazy when you add in those late nights or early mornings, helping with homework projects, preparing for field trips, cleaning out the crawl space, preparing for multiple birthday parties, driving the kids to soccer games etc etc etc, yet somehow we endure.
Success in your life, whether your business or at home, comes from making a decision, committing to do the work required daily, and course correcting when necessary.
Along the way you must not fall in love with the end result (that perfect point of balance), but rather be infatuated with the process of balancing your life.
It’s all life, and it is never balanced, but you are always balancing.
Put One Foot In Front Of The Other:
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life – It goes on.”~Robert Frost
The second part of my conclusion is that you always have to be moving forward, because if you are not moving forward, gravity will be dragging you downward.
Keep moving forward, but only focus on today. In order to successfully walk the tightrope of life, think about what you are doing next, not how high the tightrope is off the ground.
Motion creates emotion, and in order to feel alive, you must move. If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, stuck, or have a difficult decision to make… move. Directional inertia is your friend; objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Take a walk and you will instantly feel better – more relaxed and calmer.
There is a Navy Seals training mantra that I particularly like, that suggests that calm is contagious…
“Be Calm, It Will Catch On”.
Here Are Some Great Action ‘Steps” To Take:
- Start small, baby steps, but you must start in order to get anywhere.
- Get support, learn from others who have navigated this path before you.
- Forget the big picture and exclusively focus on what’s in front of you right now.
- Practice daily courage, it’s the small things that often require the most courage.
- Do the work, daily.
Finally, understand that everyone is also walking a tight rope alongside you. Some may be above, some below, some miles ahead, while others are miles behind, but we are all in this together.
I wish you a safe voyage on your tightrope journey, and, if needed, you always have a hand to grab onto if you need support.
Remember, if you ever feel unsure of what to do:
Take
The
Next
Step…
Russell Westcott
#Inspire #Encourage #Love
