As professional women and wholehearted leaders, we often strive for the elusive “work-life balance(integration).” We’re told that balance/integration is the key to achieving everything we want—career success, personal fulfillment, family time, health, and hobbies. But what if I told you that a truly balanced life is a myth?
The reality is, when we try to attend to all things equally, everything gets shortchanged. The more we try to perfectly juggle it all, the more we feel like we’re dropping balls. Instead of striving for balance, what if we embraced the idea of counterbalance?
The Myth of Balance
Many of us think of balance as finding a middle ground, a steady state where nothing is too far off-center. The problem is, if balance is the goal, then getting away from the middle feels like a failure. We see imbalance as “bad” or something to fix.
But here’s the truth: Magic happens at the extremes. When you spend time focused deeply on something that truly matters, whether it’s an important work project or quality time with your family, that’s when breakthroughs happen.
However, the challenge comes in learning how to navigate those extremes without losing your way. And that’s where counterbalance comes in.
What is Counterbalance?
Rather than trying to maintain a perfect balance all the time, counterbalancing allows you to focus intensely on one area, knowing you’ll eventually shift focus back to others. It’s a dance between the extremes, where you never stray so far from the middle that you can’t find your way back, and you never stay in one extreme long enough to neglect everything else.
There are two types of counterbalance:
Between work and personal life, and
Within your work itself.
Counterbalance in Personal Life
When it comes to your personal life, counterbalancing means allowing yourself to have short periods of imbalance, but making sure you stay connected to the things that matter most. You might focus more on work during a busy season, but it’s important not to stay disconnected from your family, health, or personal passions for too long.
The key here is intentional imbalance—giving yourself permission to focus intensely on one area without guilt, but also knowing when to step back and reconnect with the people and activities that nurture your well-being.
Counterbalance in Work Life
In your work life, however, counterbalancing requires a different approach. The pursuit of extraordinary results often demands being out of balance for long periods. This means you need to make peace with the idea that to achieve something exceptional, you’ll need to dedicate most of your time and energy to one thing, often at the expense of other tasks.
This is where focus becomes critical. By picking the one thing that matters most and committing to it until it’s complete, you can achieve remarkable results. Everything else becomes secondary during this period.
Instead of trying to balance multiple projects or spread your attention across too many tasks, think of work as a skill or knowledge that must be mastered. Mastery requires time, focus, and dedication—and sometimes, it requires stepping away from balance to achieve excellence.
Making Peace with Imbalance
This doesn’t mean you neglect everything else forever. Counterbalancing is about giving yourself the freedom to go “all-in” when needed, while also knowing how to pull back and recalibrate when the time is right.
If you’ve been spreading yourself thin, trying to maintain balance in every area of your life, it might be time to rethink your approach. The key isn’t balance—it’s learning how to counterbalance. You can have periods of intense focus on work, followed by intentional moments of reconnecting with your personal life, and vice versa.
Ready to Counterbalance?
Let go of the myth that you have to perfectly balance everything at all times. Embrace counterbalance instead. By focusing on what truly matters in each moment and giving yourself permission to spend time at the extremes, you’ll not only achieve more, but you’ll also feel more fulfilled in both your professional and personal life.
If you’re ready to find a healthier way to navigate the demands of leadership, let’s talk. Together, we can work on building a life that’s not perfectly balanced—but intentionally counterbalanced for success and fulfillment.
Click here to start getting aligned and embracing counterbalance: https://calendly.com/moreispossible/coachingcatalystcall
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