Get Out of Balance

In our culture, we’re frequently encouraged to “slow down, relax, take it easy, find balance” and just “be happy” with where we are and what we have. Most people can’t simply “relax and take it easy”—since they never do enough to free themselves from the meager existence that comes as a result of mediocre actions.

Wake up!

No one is going to take care of your family or your retirement. No politician or government policy is going to take care of you. No one is going to “make things” work out for you. As far as I’m concerned, it’s pointless for people to worry about time management and balance. The question they should be asking is “How can I have it all in abundance?” Successful people have attained the things they desire in quantities so great that no one thing can take them away. I personally am not interested in balance; I am interested in abundance in every area!

Related article: Not invited? Go Anyway.

Often I receive questions about time management and balance in my seminars. I have found throughout my career that the people who are most concerned with time management and balance in their lives are the ones who believe in the notion of “shortages”. It’s the people who put limits on what is available to them who are most inclined to talk about “balance.” However, this is a flawed manner of thinking that neither time management nor balance will resolve.

An imbalance is always going to occur when you don’t do enough with the time you have. You need to work harder while you are at the office. Ask yourself in which areas you most want to achieve success in and in what quantities?

Remember a person who limits his or her potential success will limit what he or she will do to create it and keep it.

I listened for years to parents who told me that I didn’t understand how to balance work with family life because I didn’t have children of my own. Well, I have two daughters now—which most assuredly demands more of my time—and I’m able to experience this for myself. What I found was not a problem with balance or work but rather a solution based on priorities.

As I look back over my life, I see that the one thing that was most consistent with any success I’ve achieved was that I always put forth 10 times the amount of activity that others did. To become president in your field, you will have to be out of balance, totally focused, and dedicated—following that up with tremendous amounts of action.

Related article: Take the Chill Out of the Cold Call

It is unfortunate that people with voracious obsession and fierce drive are categorized as off-balance, work- addicted, obsessive, and a whole litany of other labels. Extraordinary by definition means anything outside the realm of what most normal people can and do achieve. Only you can decide if something is extraordinary because only you know your true potential and whether you’re living up to it; no one else can judge your success.

Remember: Success is the degree or measure of attaining some desired object or end. Never seek balance. Seek extraordinary.

Your friend in business & sales,

Grant Cardone