The Myth of Balance: Why Pursuing Purpose Requires Imbalance
Purpose requires imbalance.
Not forever, but for a season. We’ve been sold a lie that we need to constantly seek balance in our lives. It’s simply not true when you are in pursuit of greatness.
So, in the season of pursuit, you must become single minded, focused on the pursuit knowing the happiness will come later.
The first day after my transplant, a Physical Therapist (PT) stopped by my room to introduce herself. She said that during my 10-day stay, we would work our way up to walking one lap around the ICU and climb one flight of stairs. I smiled and said, “After we do that today, what are we going to do tomorrow.”
Immediately she knew the type of person she was dealing with and replied, “We’re going to have to slow you down, aren’t we?”
Yep, that’s me. Her sentiment was common with most of the people I talked to in the three months of recovery and the following months as I trained for the marathon. Comments like “take it easy” or “don’t push yourself too hard” fell on deaf ears. I know it came from a good place but they didn’t understand what was burning inside me.
I wasn’t trying to get back to normal, I was trying to evolve. I was in pursuit of something bigger, something transformative. I had something to prove: we are not our circumstances and we have the power to rewrite our story.
I knew deep down that those people didn’t: Balance doesn’t build greatness, discipline does.
Like last week’s message, the training was about becoming someone new, not the finish line. This meant focus, determination, sacrifice. Intentional imbalance.
It wasn’t about forgetting everything and everyone else, but commitment and intentional shift in priorities to achieve my goal.
1. Balance is a Buzzword – NOT a blueprint
There is a misconception that we can “do it all” from career, rest, fitness, family, mental health, friends and it all be in perfect harmony. The reality is, each of those only get a piece of you in “perfect harmony”. Purpose doesn’t operate in perfect harmony. It requires sacrifice and the deeper the purpose, the more focused you must become.
2. There Are Seasons for Everything
This imbalance is not bad, nor is it meant to be forever; it’s seasonal. Sports are played at certain times of the year, farmers sow seed and harvest at specific times of the year, and your pursuit will happen for the time it takes. Pushing yourself, grinding, chasing, resting, resetting, and regrouping are all seasons in your journey. Know what season you are in and act accordingly.
3. Temporary Imbalance Builds Long-Term Freedom
Going all out for a season, whether it’s for healing, growth, or purpose, you create the foundation for future freedom. Make the sacrifice today, learn, grow, become stronger and you will be paid dividends on all your sacrifices. Think about focusing on your new business or weight loss journey; imbalance in the short-term will help that business thrive and your fitness soar.
4. Focus is the Antidote to Mediocrity
Balance can become an excuse for distraction. What we’re really doing is avoiding the discomfort of growth and progress in the name of being “balanced”. The pursuit of our purpose will not be comfortable. It’s intended to stretch you, challenge you, force you to become more than you already are. This is where change occurs. This is where pursuit becomes reality.
Are you chasing balance or growth?
Reframe your discomfort: it’s not burnout, it’s becoming!
Let go of the myth that you need to juggle everything all the time and be perfect in the process to be worthy of success. Instead, lead into the season you are in right now.
Build if it’s building season and rest if it’s resting season. Know the difference and know when to be imbalanced.
So, if you are in pursuit of a goal right now, be comfortable with being imbalanced. It will be the difference between growth or staying idle.
