Everything in Balance but Everything NOT in Moderation

Yesterday, I decided to give Cold-FX a try. A number of runners and my boss suggested it. Am I feeling better? Well, my energy level I am almost back to normal. My voice is still a bit off and I have a slight runny nose. The most important thing is that I am feeling I am healing and not getting worst :o).

This week my schedule is packed. Meeting Pastor, prep for Bible study, Open house to attend.... one step at a time. I actually look forward on going to the Open House. The company is call iloverewards.com and they base their company from the book, Good to Great. They have a number of marketing positions available and I figure I should check the employers out. I am not much of a schmoozing person but I do love to yap about business and what not.

Back to my topic headline. We live in a fast pace culture. There were days when I am proud of shoving as much as I can in my schedule and see if I can survive it (more of a pride thing than being productive). Last year when I started training seriously, I revaluated my lifestyle. I had to. There isn't a lot of time to do everything and I made a conscious decision to change my life.

In a previous post, I discussed the four key areas in my life.

- Church and fellowship(for my spiritual growth)
- Family (I don't think I need to explain this one)
- Training (Ironman)
- Job (we all need to make a living)

Balance does not mean putting equal portion of time/effort into each area. Example: Each day, I don't put 25% in church, 25% in family, 25% in training and 25% in job. My life ain't a box and things come and go. (Note: Just like in training, some day we train harder and some day we train easier.)

So how does one define balance? I find balance when I am peace at myself. It ain't a quantitative figure and I believe everyone's balance point is different. The key is to find that balance point and stick to it.

It is hard to be objective and not let the ego get in the way (let's do more, you can add more to your schedule etc.) Instead, I ask myself, do I feel ok with the situation even when things ain't the way I want it to be, am I satisfy with life, or am I feeling stress out or cranky when I should be feeling happy and upbeat etc.

For example, last week, there were a number of Christian brothers and sisters asking me for help or need someone to listen to. I reduced my training and going out time and focus on them.

Balance, however, does not mean moderation. I actually picked up the moderation idea from Brad Kearns (authoer of Breakthrough Triathlon Training and How Lance Does It).

In his blog, he wrote:

"The conclusion "everything in moderation" is troubling to me because it's often used as a crutch when we succumb to the momentum of unhealthy elements of the rat race. The opposite of everything in moderation is to be totally mindful and committed to everything that you do. If you are going to enjoy an indulgent treat or a lazy day watching Netflix DVD's, do so with complete conviction and pleasure in the experience (and pick the best movies and the best treats), instead of feeling guilty, conflicted or absent minded about it....If you are tempted to blow off exercise today because you are too busy or lack the energy, a decision like this is fine in the big picture of living an active lifestyle. "

On Sun, I was grocery shopping with a friend. As we were walking out of the store, she mentioned how bad the key lime pie that she just brought is. I told her, 'if you are going to indulge, you might as well indulge guilt free.'

She mentioned how healthy my grocery were compared to hers (heh, she just didn't see me when I indulge :D).

Maybe b/c of my nature to go extreme, I believe in everything we do, we have to do it the best that we can (if not, what's the point of doing it).

Doing the best does not equate being the first or getting number one. It means whatever we do, at work, at training, with family, relationships, we give a 100%. No holding back. And this is not moderation.