why balance is a fallacy

Hey beautiful people.

Today’s journal entry is a little bit different this time around. Today, I’ve decided to write in my notebook and then type it out here.

You’re probably wondering; Why? What’s the point?

Well, I believe there’s something to be said about putting pen to paper. I’ve generally gotten my best ideas in the notebook I’m writing in so it can only be more advantageous. So anyways, I just thought I’d let you know as I’ll be committing to this two-step process from now onwards.

Not only will I get better at writing and fostering new ideas or insights, but also, in turn, you will get to receive more value and inspiration :)

Now that I got that out of the way, let’s jump into today’s topic, balance.

Today’s topic: balance

This notion of balance circulating in the online space has always been an interesting conundrum. I’ve never fully understood how to tackle it. I would always feel that I was on the wrong side of the coin. Whenever I would pour hours into my craft, I would often feel that it was taking away from other areas of my life.

If I worked too hard, I would neglect my health, relationships, etc.

Vice versa, if I took the foot off the gas pedal a little bit and focused more on the 80/20 principle, then I was inching further away from my goals. 

This has been a constant struggle for me, as I imagine many of you can also relate. Now I don’t wanna seem like I have all the answers to how to approach a “work-life balance”, because I don’t. However, I’ve spent some time learning more about the true essence of beings. And what I’ve concluded after listening to many podcasts and reading various books, is that we’re expanding beings. Whatever area we wish to focus on, simply expands other areas. Many of us, including my former self view life as a pie. Whichever part of the pie we focus on, takes away other parts of the pie to compensate. Now I’ve come to a realization, that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Life isn’t finite.

When you double down on fitness, it expands your capacity to serve as a leader, husband, etc.

When you spend countless hours on your work, you're expanding your mental fortitude and widthband in fitness.

We’re complex beings with a lot of things we don’t understand. But the one thing we do know is that everything is interconnected. Don’t ever feel guilty for spending too much time and energy in one area. Of course, there are levels to it and it’s up to you to distinguish what’s best for you.

This brings me to my last point, there is no “one size fits all”. I still stand by the notion of us being expanding beings. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re the same. Some of us are meant to embody a minimalist lifestyle similar to Naval Ravikant or Jack Dorsey. While others may be aligned or drawn more towards the complete opposite of a lifestyle similar to Elon Musk. It’s up to you to test the waters, as I continue to do so myself.

With that being said, continue to shamelessly pour hours into your craft and eat up that pie :)

Cheers to expanding together.

Much luv,

Jared

PS: We still have a few spots left for our IRL Greece Mastermind next month, DM me (@jaredsmall_) for more details!