Can we do our best while still in balance and flow?

[Lyubov]

I have some thoughts to share here. I’ll keep it brief and concise.

I was thinking a lot about what it takes to become truly great at something or really build a business or create one’s dream vocation.

I think we will all be in agreement that commitment, dedication, working consciously and smart and continuously approaching it with an open mind and putting in time to build it is necessary. Rome wasn’t built overnight. Utilizing our passion and getting clear with ourselves what we want and what we are doing. 

I think where I want to open up the discussion is how this fits into living in flow, balance and oneness. Embracing and accepting our own uniqueness, strengths and weaknesses and having a balance but also perhaps realizing in order to achieve or create certain things there may be a level of drive, time and energy needed to put into what we are creating, which in turn may throw us off balance. 

I’ll give a practical example: I want to study 16 hours a week of a new language but realistically after 12 hours I’m pretty shot by the fourth day. And I am wanting some sort of change up of tasks because it can be a  bit monotonous. Now this right here I would begin to question myself why I believe I need an instant reward or change up, but putting that aside, I think really all we can do is accept our own unique pace or throw ourselves out of wack. Maybe I’m not explaining it well but I’m looking to understand what is perhaps just our beliefs about what we are doing vs what is sort of uniquely is and why we are that way. Because I was listening to a linguist talk and he could study 9 hours a day, I am not sure I have that in me. So do you all believe in some sort of life lesson, we have to maybe throw ourselves out of wack to really reach an advanced level in a vocation or can it be done in balance and flow?

[Nilsi]

“what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” - friedrich nietzsche

i don’t buy the whole “optimal experience” narrative of a few hours of “deep work” a day. what is one supposed to do with the remaining 12 or so hours? just dick around?

even the most charitable interpretation of this narrative, such as that of schmachtenberger, in whose view a significant chunk of time should be spent just “being” (in nature, with loved ones, in prayer, etc.), doesn’t resonate with me.

i could never. 90% of my life is a grind - not to get to some place where i can then finally enjoy myself, but because it’s intrinsically the way i enjoy life the most. my „being“ is „being on a mission,“ and i wouldn’t want it any other way.

so i guess it’s up to you. there’s no cookie-cutter solution that works for everyone.

Edited June 7 by Nilsi

[zurew]

There are two ways I can interpret your question:

1) You know exactly what you want to do, you are just not sure whether having a balanced life will get you there faster compared to having an unbalanced life

2) You know exactly what you want to do, you know that if you have an unbalanced life you will achieve that specific goal faster(or even having an unbalanced life is necessary for you in order to reach that goal), but you don't want to sacrifice everything for it and you are unsure about how much you are willing to sacrifice for it.

If the first one is the case, thats just gonna be an empirical question and the question of balance is irrelevant there (its more of a question of "does this thing optimize me more towards that goal or not" thats the question, if more balance does that , [whatever balance means there], then you implement it, if not, then you don't implement it). You need to figure out how you can optimize yourself towards that particular goal. You probably shouldn't completely copy others (regarding how they did it), you will need to fit everything to your uniqueness (to your situation, to your skills, to your strength and weaknesses etc). 

If the second one is the case, thats gonna be a question regarding your values, where you need to self reflect on what kind of life you actually want and what things you are willing to sacrifice and what thing you are not.

Edited June 7 by zurew

[Jwayne]

Follow your enthusiasm and you'll never get mentally tired from learning or working.