Active balance: the art of satisfactory living

Six virtuous cycles for a fulfilling life. Can you strike balance without strict boundaries?

We are all aware of how balance in life is one of the keys to a fulfilling life, and we also know that it is one of the hardest things to strike. Most often, balance is used to refer to work-life balance but this becomes very vague when you are an artist, creative individual, business leader or entrepreneur for whom work hours easily spill into life and vice versa.

But there are other different kinds of balance even within work and life. Now, the most well known model of balance is structuring time to do complementary tasks. This is what I call passive balance — drawing strict boundaries between tasks and trying to maintain these lines.

This might work for some people who have clearly defined jobs and strict, stable routines in life. Strict boundary lines do not work for me. As somebody with a bunch of interests, trying to be creative most of the time, I cannot have rigid time structures in the short or long term.

I think of balance in terms of cycles, not lines. I try to strike an active balance — I oscillate between complementary things.

I do not limit my tasks to strict portions of time. I do one thing, sometimes ‘too much’, then bounce back to do the complementary thing, sometimes ‘too much’, and I bounce back again, and the cycle keeps going on.

Of course, there is a tradeoff. I let go of meticulous planning and ruthless efficiency so that life feels like play.

And the act of bouncing between tasks, keeping several things together, making mistakes in the process, learning, and course correcting is fulfilling to me. This way I am able to observe balance in my life not just in a single day but over several weeks and months.

And this allows me the flexibility to do things with passion as I see fit. I will work harder for a period of time if I am naturally inspired to, and when I’m not I spend time catching up on other things. It becomes important then to actively seek and do complementary things.

“Balance isn’t something you find, it’s something you create.” — Jana Kingsford

Active balance is about tapping into virtuous cycles not just in structuring time, but also in attitudes and perspectives, that produce exponential rewards over time. Virtuous cycles are not myths, they do exist and by definition, they are self-sustaining if you tap into them.

#1 Adulting

Lots of people crib about adulting either because they hate responsibilities or they don’t get any chance to be spontaneous. Adulting sucks when there is no space in life for the child inside to take over. Responsibility and discipline are the keys to delayed gratification and long-term rewards, which are both very satisfying for adults and usually not present in childhood. Whereas wonder and joy, which a child has a natural tendency for, are the innocent fruits essential for gratitude and contentment.

#2 Health and Well-being

One of the hardest virtuous cycles to get into because of the multiple activities that need to be done — physical exercise, nutritious diets, adequate rest and rejuvenation, etc. — consistently over time. But also the one with the biggest rewards. The mind-body connection is essential for a well-rounded experience of life. Each works wonderfully when the other does too. The cycle can be entered by starting to take care of physical health. As the mind begins to reap its rewards, it naturally inclines towards consistent physical activity.

#3 Creativity

This cycle is necessary for artists but it is also useful for anybody who wishes to create products of value. Consumption provides much-needed exposure to ideas and paradigms, and to the open mind, inspirations are everywhere to be found. Whereas creation is the outlet for an expression of those values and ideas synthesized uniquely in one's own way, and the only way knowledge is applied and put to test. Without consumption, creation has no roots. Without creation, consumption has no fruits.

#4 Productivity

There exist so many hacks and methods to increase productivity but this cycle concerns a layer above that. To innovate and create unique products, strategies, methods, etc., or simply to pursue an adventurous path in life trying several new and different things, one inevitably goes through the drift state where there is no clarity in thought or goals and movement is either absent or directionless. But this is an opportunity to introspect and understand priorities, goals, and desires much better. Journaling is one of the best ways to obtain clarity. Once clarity of action is obtained, enthusiasm is a natural consequence that will push you into the flow state where a purpose, no matter how large or small, is well-understood and smooth progress can be made to achieve it. Without confusion, drifting, detours, and adventures, life is monotonous. Without execution and progress, clarity is worthless.

#5 Relationships (1/2)

Feeling secure and complete in solitude leads to healthy attachments.

“Solitude makes us tougher towards ourselves, and tenderer towards others. In both ways, it improves character”. - Nietzsche

Feeling ‘complete’ and secure in intimate relationships allows one to enjoy time away from them to focus on productivity, personal affairs, and work. It is in this way that each reinforces the other.

#6 Relationships (2/2)

As I mentioned in my blog post on intimate relationships, with time and continuous practice, efforts to accommodate honesty meet the reward of an effortless state of truthful co-existence. And when actions are in line with words, trust and security are built slowly but surely, which strengthen bonds and in turn act as the foundation for an authentic expression and lifestyle. The beautiful symbiosis of these qualities produces meaningful relationships. But the crucial, underrated importance of this cycle is for its benefit to the self. If you are walking a path of uncertainty, it requires you to have a strong belief in yourself and be secure about your choices and decisions. This only comes when you are completely authentic in your choices and interests and you practice brutal honesty with yourself. This is extremely hard to do, but you end up with integrity, grit, and above everything, solid self-esteem, and confidence. And these values pay off in the long run much more than skills and talent.

Each of these six virtuous cycles is hard to tap into and requires a forceful attempt in the beginning. It is important to know that everybody falls in and out of these cycles often, and if you are not making mistakes, you are not trying anything new. But once the rewards of any cycle are experienced, it becomes easier to tap into them again.

The framework of active balance is a powerful concept that can also be applied to any scenario where it is hard to draw strict boundary lines or force unnatural transitions. In this way, it mimics life itself much better by allowing vibrant back-and-forth actions and leaving room for spontaneous delights.