What is more important in life is life, and not the result of life.

I read this quote today morning, and it made me to reflect.

How often do we give a work-related excuse instead of spending time with a loved one? How often do we excuse ourselves from a family function citing an important client meeting? Or, prioritize a work-related deadline over physical health? Why do we always wait for a medical emergency to drop on us to leave everything at hand and rush?

Sometimes, Later becomes Never!

A number of years ago, Bryan Dyson, then the President and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, delivered a commencement speech at Georgia Tech. And, this is what he said, “We are always juggling 5 balls in the air – work, family, health, friends, and spirit – and we try to keep them all in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must always remember this.”

We all hope for a perfect balance, the perfect symphony of sorts. But it’s important to understand that balance is a myth. Balance is a verb, in the sense we are always in the act of balancing. It is never a Kodak-moment, an ideal state that you can achieve, rather it is a continuous action. You get to choose what is more important at that moment. Yes, the rubber ball is important, but it’s not all-encompassing that it will take care of all other balls.

What I am telling you is not something you don’t know. It’s already there within you, deep inside. I am just reminding you of your power to choose!