A while back, over at Raptitude, I found this post about how balance should be in terms of years – not everyday.
The balance here is the balancing of priorities, balancing of the things I want to do and achieve. We all know that we cannot do every single thing we want to, every day. However, if we plan long term, we can actually achieve enough to satisfy us and get somewhere towards our goal.
This long term balance ties in beautifully to my observation about the cyclical nature of my interests. In the past few years, my main mainstays have been photography, climbing, cycling, words and some craft related activity.
Always, I have noticed, while one interest is at its peak, one is on the wax, another is on the wane , the fourth is queued behind.
It is as if all my interest are marked out on a wheel, a slowly rotating wheel, all queued up. The marker at the moment shows the interest which is at its peak right now, but the wheel inexorably rotates. What is at its peak will hit the nadir, but will be back again.
Over the years, the list can change. But it has been obvious to me that at any given point, there can only be one thing which is taking the highest priority.
Knowing this, balancing becomes an easier task. Knowing that every interest has its day in the sun, the feeling of guilt for not working on one particular activity goes away as well.
October 29, 2014