The Importance Of Balance During Self-Growth

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” ― Sir Isaac Newton

If you’re not already familiar with David Goggins, this is a brief overview.

He has run over 60 ultra-marathons and triathlons, often finishing in the top ranks, he finished his first-ever 100-mile race with broken feet, lost over 100 lbs in three months to qualify for the Navy seals, completed 3 Navy Seal hell weeks and broke the Guinness world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours with over 4000 pull-ups.

He is often regarded as the toughest man alive, which is embodied by his slogan ‘Stay hard’.

The reason I bring this up is because I believe his increase in popularity is the opposite reaction to the lack of discipline and mental toughness that people are experiencing today.

The problem, however, is that striving to live up to the standards of the very person who embodies mental toughness is extremely unrealistic, and in many cases causes people to quit their attempt at personal development altogether.

The same can be said for the rising trend of “no fap” as a reaction to the overuse of porn, or extreme diets like keto and carnivore as a way to battle processed foods, along with many other examples.

This, in turn, got me thinking about balance, and the importance of balance when trying to change major aspects of your life. 

If you go too far one way, you remain the same. If you go too far the other way, you do too much and end up quitting altogether, and you remain the same.

So, it’s safe to say balance is extremely important during growth, but how do we achieve balance and improve ourselves at the same time? 

Number 1: Rising Standards

During personal development, it’s extremely important to be aware of the standards you set and the role they play during periods of growth.

Standards are like video game levels, once unlocked, you won’t play at a level below it. Once you have become a master at a level, you become competent enough to unlock the next.

Just like video game levels, if you die, you’ll respawn at the beginning of that level. Similarly, if you go through a difficult time, or lack motivation, you’ll almost never drop below the standard you’re currently at.

Raising your standards looks like this: You become used to your current standard, so you set the next set of difficult challenges that take you to the harder standard, until you become used to that one, and the cycle repeats.

Just like you wouldn’t focus on level 17 of a game if you were at level 5, do not compare yourself with that of a much higher standard, take it each step at a time.

To remain balanced, be realistic with your pace of growth and be aware of your current standard.

Number Two: Set Small Goals

Setting small goals, alongside long-term goals, is a huge part of remaining balanced during growth.

If you’re constantly comparing your progress with the goal that takes years to achieve, you’ll always be losing.

Along the way to achieving big goals, there are many smaller and easier-to-obtain goals along the path. So set them, and achieve them.

By achieving smaller goals, you get to focus on the progress you’re currently making and feel like a winner in the process.

This makes growing fun and rewarding, making it much more likely that you’ll stick at it for the long run.

This leads me perfectly to the next point.

Number Three: Enjoy Yourself

If you do not enjoy yourself on the journey, is there any point?

Relentlessly grinding your teeth and getting through the mud without any form of downtime or resets will always end in defeat.

When you build muscle, do you train the same muscle every single day? No, because you understand that muscle needs time to rest in order to regrow.

Growing your mind works the same way.

This doesn’t mean working one day and resting the next, it simply means adding little nuggets here and there that help you reset.

You might be the person needing to hear a little more David Goggins, or you might be the person who can’t sit still when on vacation.

Either way, figure out which and find the balance.