Transcend: The Dynamic Fulcrum

Note: Full credit for this idea goes to Wayne Cordito, who presented it at The Leadership Summit some years ago.

Balance. The one thing we all seek. If you look at any system of belief, that's one of the main things it promises - self help books to help you balance your work and your private life. Feng shui to help your room be balanced. A system of karma that balances out the good and the bad in life.

Belief systems give us something to hold onto, something to balance our lives on - a fulcrum. And so we live our lives, striving for balance. Between love and logic. Between work and play. And we analyze, and carefully move things around, until our life is just right. Perfect! Balanced!

And then there's a shift. Because something didn't stay where we put it. Work is taking longer, the spouse is asking for more time, the kids are doing different activities, the guys have found that epic fishing spot that just HAS to be had this weekend.

So what do we do? Our natural instinct is to try and pile on more stuff to keep this thing balanced. We go on the fishing trip, get some roses for our jilted spouse with a card promising more quality time, put the kids' activities on the VISA, smile to our boss at mutter under our breath at our co-workers, and above all, present the image that we're expending not a single extra drop of effort in the process.

But there's a better way. Move the fulcrum. Life is dynamic - ever changing - if we think we're going to be able to work with it with a system that's based on keeping things the same, we're fighting the wrong battle already.

How does the fulcrum work? It's easy - natural, even. You move the fulcrum, which is your focus, towards the side that has the heavier load. That big project means you're going to be thinking about work more. And then, when it's finally submitted, you can move the fulcrum back over and spend an abundance of time with the family.

The problem comes when we fail to move it. That project finishes, but we're so used to spending 80 hours a week at the office for the past three months we're hesitant to ask the boss for a week of time off. We're mortally afraid of missing something important, and in being afraid, we miss everything important. We're trying to fit life into our perceptions, instead of using our heads and working the way life works.

When did common sense become so uncommon?