Stop Chasing Balance. Start Creating Harmony

There is no such thing as balance. Not the kind of balance we keep chasing, anyway.

Balance creates guilt. Harmony creates choice.

Have you ever felt guilty for working when you thought you should be with family? Or for resting when you thought you should be working?

Have you ever felt like you are always ‘on’ yet still not doing enough?

That is the trap of chasing balance. It is something many of us keep reaching for, even though it keeps making us feel like we are falling short.

The Elusive Balance

The concept of balance has been an ever-present thought pattern for me. For decades, I felt I always had to be ‘on’. I had to be here, doing this, going there, being with one person or another.

Too often, I felt torn and guilty for not doing enough, even though I was always doing something.

Constantly second-guessing myself about what I was doing and whether it was the best use of my time sometimes drove me bananas.

Then I realised how crazy it was. It took me a long time to stop, and even now, many years later, it still sneaks up on me from time to time.

How did I come to this realisation? It was the word itself—balance.



“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Mahatma Gandhi

The Alternative to Balance

Balance implies that both sides of life should be equal. Equal time. Equal energy. Equal attention. Like a set of scales, with equal weight on one side to balance the other.

But life does not work that way. Some seasons require more from your business. Some seasons require more from your family. Some seasons require more from your health, your thinking, your relationships, or your recovery.

That is why balance often creates guilt. Harmony creates choice.

I believe in harmony because very little in life is ever truly balanced. Even nature moves in seasons, cycles, and shifts.

Harmony is not about doing whatever feels good in the moment. It is about making choices that give you the energy, clarity and capacity to show up well for your work, your people, your health and your future.

So, let’s go for harmony instead. Striving for harmony allows you to look at life differently.

Living in harmony requires clarity about what matters most. It means having a sense of purpose and a vision for the future so you can be intentional about how you show up each day.

When I was a young mum, and life felt overwhelming, I wrote down my own “rules” for living. I had just bought my first computer and was pleased with my creative efforts, and at the time, I used the language I knew.



The “rules” I wrote for myself many years ago

Back then, I called it balance. Today, I call it harmony. The label has changed, but the intention has not. The heart of what I was trying to create was the same.

Time itself is neutral.

We are the ones who move through it.

The real question is not whether we have enough time. The real question is whether we are using our time, energy and attention in a way that reflects what matters most.

Harmony does not happen because life gets less busy. It happens because you lead yourself more intentionally. Here are a few ways to start.

Read more here, starting with Consider The Bigger Impact