Balance

June 6, 2006

I’m dragging a bit today, the result of a massive fever and too much last-minute work for a client. This isn’t to say that I don’t like work, I just want to find the holy grail of balance so that all my deadlines don’t occur on the same evening.

But how easy is it to achieve true balance? EGGO now has a cool new waffle that makes perfect balance a cinch.

The Flip Flop (named mostly for Senator Kerry) is half chocolate and half vanilla. It’s the perfect mix of flavors – you don’t even need syrup.

Well, I’m not here to talk about syrup or flavors or food specifically, I’m here to question the art some people have to coordinate their lives, their socks, their schedules and their goals.

As I sat in bed sweating at 3AM, I wondered if I’m really doing what I want to be doing. *Not sweating, per se, but is my life headed in the direction I would choose if time, money and motivation weren’t a factor?

I’m not sure. But I’m also not sure that I’ve got the skills to pull off a quest for my goals without help. Looking around the mansion, here’s a quick recap of my findings:

A vase that last held flowers in 2003; a tub of expired Country Crock plus Calcium (does butter/margarine go bad in the fridge); some unfinished trim around the four new windows; a breadmaker, coffeemaker, eggcooker and fax machine (all SELDOM see action); a room full of clips and technology gadgets; a closet full of bike stuff; and a telescope that I don’t know how to use.

Get rid of it all, you might say. But I don’t think my goal lethargy is a byproduct of some old mountain biking jerseys. I think it’s a discipline issue. Harkening back to the the Fat Man Chronicles, I think motivating oneself is harder than it seems.

Back in 1981, I wasn’t allowed food for about five weeks. It was a challenge to get past the first week and it was excruciatingly difficult to get past weeks two and three, but weeks four, five and part of six were a piece of cake.

That knowledge is going to be part of my fuel as I start to identify and work toward goals. The understanding that I can accomplish a goal if I can keep my focus beyond the first three weeks.

So, here are the goals I’ve come up with. If you think you know an easier way than hard work to accomplish them, let me know.

See the Tour de France in person again
Finish my worry book and get it published (traditionally, not vanity)
Same for Laura and Tony Investigate
Reclaim my fitness level (for me, weight isn’t an issue, but fitness is)
Find a way to renovate the mansion
There. Simple.

More to come…