Balance: need not always be 50/50

Of the many perks my travel-heavy job affords - airline miles, a bounty of free meals, uber-polite treatment at Starwood hotels - one of my favorites is the chance to recruit on university campuses. I've observed that when job recruiters descend on college quadrangles, the universe reacts as follows:

1. Kinkos and the local dry cleaners see a spike in revenue
2. For a few hours, we (the recruiters) each experience a cushy boost in self-worth as aspiring professionals passionately describe how much they want to be us* (*NB: high likelihood that perceived level of admiration is greater than actual)

Now, some people note a downside to this fanfare: at career fairs, one must endure answering the same uncreative recruiting questions. Over. And over. So to spice things up, I've sometimes thought about taking a little liberty with my answers to the more generic inquisitions:

• Q: "How did you get interested in consulting?"
• A: "Well, I started my career as the captain of a shrimp boat, so as you can see it was a natural progression from there."

• Q: "Can you describe the types of clients you've worked with?"\
• A: "Shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan-fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp...that's about it."

And my personal favorite... "How do you strike a work-life balance?"
This one can inspire a bevy of creative answers...some of them real. "My manager agreed to let me come in late on Tuesdays so I can attend hot yoga." "I give myself a mental break and don't work during lunch." "I use an internet blocker that won't let me on facebook at the office, so I get everything done faster."

Techniques may vary, but there is only one true answer to this question, and credit for it goes to Jack Welch: "There's no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences."

Yes. I must constantly manage my descisions to most effectively get the outcome I desire. And if I really want to achieve what I'm after - to "catch my unicorn" - let's face it, that means I have to make decisions that do NOT leave me in a state of equilibrium.  So how can I  - how can YOU - undergo conditioning that will prepare us for those choices?

Sacrifice. Force yourself to leave a gap somewhere in your desires, to feel an asymmetry. Your brain will crave a way to fill the void. Provide it with a different stimulant - instead of focusing energy on the void, focus it on a different task.  Find empowerment in realizing what that energy can serve.

Risk. Mental, physical, emotional. If you're not teetering on the edge every now and then, you're taking up too much space.

Love. Hopefully you've loved enough to know why it's the ultimate manifestation non-equilibrium...which makes it the best practice grounds for investing yourself in what you desire, without knowing what the outcome will be. Ever been told to honor and lift those around you...only 50% of the time? Funny, me neither.

EKG machines reveal the pulse by which we live. When they're perfectly balanced, we're dead. What has your readout looked like lately?

Exercise

Think of a decision you made today. Any size will do. Then answer the simple questions below (yes, they are simple).

My example decision: choosing what to eat for breakfast

1. What criteria did you use to make this decision? What did this enable that would get you closer to the outcome you desired?

Ex: My criteria was to eat something that was quick and mainly carbohydrates. This would enable me to get to the gym faster, so that I could have a longer, higher quality workout, which would lead me closer to the outcome of qualifying for Boston.

2. What this decision a sacrifice or risk? How did it contribute to (or detract from) your balance?

Ex. I sacrificed the chance to sit down for a warm meal and read, which I enjoy very much. I make this sacrifice at least six days per week, and while 6/7 is not 50/50, I gain balance through building physical and mental strength via exercise. And what do you know - that's good balance for a runner to have.
Did you chase your unicorn? If not, how will you practice imbalance so that you do?