Maybe Your Employees Need Poorer Balance

Everyone says balance is so great—balanced diet, balanced time, balanced outlook. But what if balance were not so helpful after all, and what your employees really needed was less of it?

Juggling all aspects of life is, indeed, "a balancing act," but author and speaker Dan Thurmon says an off balance life should not be fixed, but rather, embraced.

"Every day, we are inundated with messages about the importance of finding 'balance' in our lives," says Thurmon, author of "Off Balance On Purpose—Embrace Uncertainty and Create a Life You Love." "How does this make us feel? Overwhelmed, out of touch, and unfulfilled. The problem isn't us—it's the message. Perfect balance is unachievable and undesirable. The perpetual quest for balance ends up limiting growth, progress, and the quality of life."

Thurmon's theory is people need to free themselves from the 'balance' dilemma and learn to thrive during uncertain times with a shift in attitude and actions: embrace reality, get aligned with your purpose, lean forward, and initiate positive changes. He offers the following tips to changing the attitude from anxiety to empowerment:

- Accept and take advantage of the contradictions in our daily lives.

- Once you fully embrace uncertainty, you can learn to thrive in the midst of chaos and see opportunities that were previously invisible to you.

- You must let go to get a grip. The experience of "being overwhelmed" stems from an inability to let go of the things we cannot control.

- Integrate the five vital areas of life—work, relationships, health, spiritual growth, and personal interests—into a workable pattern, with strong, fluid connections between the areas.

- Adopt a practical, concrete process for orchestrating changes and staying aligned with one's purpose.

- Life is not a hypothetical future; it is an undeniable present. Own your reality and engage life as it is happening right now!

With the economy still, shall we say, not-so-great, Thurmon believes the reality of off balance living is amplified, and those who can implement these strategies will be rewarded.

"Economic uncertainty has caused millions of layoffs, and that number continues to climb," he says. "Stock and housing markets remain uncertain. People realize the systems they believed to be 'stable' are, in fact, unreliable and overstretched. Many people find themselves unfulfilled, off balance, and lost for a plausible 'next step.' For those who are out of work, looking to reinvent their lives and find a new, more fulfilling and sustainable approach, learning how to live off balance could be just what the doctor ordered."