Finding balance isn’t an act. It’s a choice |
Finding balance isn’t an act. It’s a choice
It’s series of choices that informs action—not what we decide to do, but who we choose to be.
[Photo: Mbolina/Adobe Stock]
For the first time that I can remember, this year I was completely enthralled by the Winter Olympics. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever watched the Winter Games before, but it really caught my attention this go-round. One event that really stood out for me was the skeleton.
For the uninitiated (like I was just a month ago), the skeleton is a slide-based sport where athletes lie face down, headfirst, on a small slide going 80 mph down an icy, declining slope. On the surface, it doesn’t look like it requires much from the athlete but to lie down and hang on for dear life until crossing the finish line.
But upon further inspection, the sport is far more intricate, requiring the athlete to make subtle adjustments with their shoulders, knees, and even their toes to control and steer the sled. The slightest weight shifts can make the difference between first place and last. As if the Olympics weren’t competitive enough, the margin of error in this event is miniscule.
I was fascinated, particularly about the idea of finding balance. There’s so much talk about work-life balance, work-self balance, and just about any other “something-something” balance where the two somethings seem to be at odds with each other. To find balance, we make subtle adjustments throughout our days and weeks—blocking off time, making time, taking time—in hopes of steering our lives and maintaining control of ourselves. However, according to Misan Harriman, balance is less of an “act” and more of a series of choices that informs action; it’s not what we decide to do but who we choose to be.
FROM THE CULTURE is a podcast that explores the inner workings of organizational culture that enable companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you aren’t having.
Raw and honest moments of humanity
Harriman is a photographer, activist, and Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work has been prominently featured in publications like Vogue, celebrated on awards stages, and widely shared throughout the zeitgeist. His work captures the raw and honest moments of humanity—in resistance, grief, joy, and all the many manifestations of our true existence.
Our conversation with Harriman on the From the Culture podcast explored the balancing act of profitability and principle, where he argues that “profit at all costs” carries a heavy price tag that can cost us our authenticity. We make decisions at work that call into question the integrity of who we perceive ourselves to be outside of the office.
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