It has been said that variety is the spice of life. Life is short; therefore, enjoy everything that you can, in moderation of course. Enter the world of mass confusion. “If I am to enjoy life, then what I am supposed to eat if I want to remain healthy?” How much exercise do I really need? How can I afford to take another day off from work? When and how am I supposed to get more sleep?” These questions and many others would be a welcomed addition to any trivia game show for their answers would be so outlandish that even the most seasoned trivia buff would not be able to answer them clearly. Truth be told, in a day and age when information on everything and anything can be found, the answers to these questions that most are searching for can only be found by those who have earned their MBA— a life committed to the mindset of Must Balance Accordingly.

Some of the best schools in the country for obtaining an MBA in business are right here in our back yard. But even they do not provide the proper training or schooling for what it really means to live a healthy, balanced life. Consequently, most of the information that is available to us is misleading, if not outright deceitful. Deceptive advertising, aggressive marketing, multi billion dollar agendas, all propagate what most utilize as their reliable source of information. Problem is, in the end most do not know the difference between heads or tails and as a result take a “why bother” attitude. It does not and should not have to be that way.

Achieving balance in life is not an easy task; there is a greater probability of walking a balance beam without falling. The first step in achieving balance is understanding the desired outcome of daily activities.  Why do you go to work?  Is it just to pay bills or be proud of doing something meaningful? Is it to lose weight? What does losing the weight mean? Is it to find a better job? What will having a better job provide? Is exercise a means to an end?  What is that end? There are many questions just like this that need to be asked to clarify what it is exactly it is that you want and which direction to head.  Otherwise, life becomes like a chicken with its head cut off: aimlessly running around until too exhausted to do anything except fall down and die.

The second step in achieving balance is, knowing what is important and what is not important.  Often times our day is spent performing meaningless tasks that take away from the real duties that have to be completed. The result: we feel overworked and overwhelmed thus leaving room for the excuse that we just don’t have the time. Is it necessary to answer every single phone call? Read every e-mail three, four, five times a day?  Exercise for an hour as opposed to thirty minutes of concerted effort? Skip breakfast or lunch because you’re running late?  When it’s put into perspective, one will discover there is more time available every day than what is assumed.  That is of course you value what is most important to you and your goals in life.

The third and final step in achieving balance is living a life that is personally meaningful.  Perhaps more clearly stated it is about not trying to fit a square in a round hole; mimicking what you perceive as a “good” life; living out of your means.  As far as catch phrases go, “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side”, and one of my personal favorites, “If it were that easy, everyone would be able to do it.” There’s certainly nothing wrong with having role models, but the best role models should reflect and inflect our personal values to the life we want and are willing to live for. As for defining what is a personally meaningful life is, it should be one that is desirable, attainable, and livable for you. If it doesn’t meet all three criteria, it will be very difficult to obtain balance and instead of a life with a few ups and downs, it will become a virtual see saw.

It is never too late to learn; never too late to change; never too late to make a difference; never to late to earn your MBA.