HDE Series: Conclusions

The following is part 7 of my 8 part series on entrepreneurs and their attempts at work-life balance.

No matter what, work lives and personal lives will collide.
I use the word

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About Devin Reams

My name is Devin Reams and I founded this site to provide a useful news and review resource for Colorado skiers and snowboarders (and mountain enthusiasts). I've been skiing since I was a little kid (we moved out here when I was five years old) and I plan to ski for years beyond that. Although cosnow is not my full-time job it is my full-time winter hobby. I've been an "Epic Local" passholder since 2006 (when it was called a "Colorado Pass" or "Five Mountain Pass"). My favorite resorts are Beaver Creek and Breckenridge.

One thought on “HDE Series: Conclusions

  1. Brook

    Very interesting observations about methods and constraints on achieving “balance”.

    I believe knowing yourself is fundametal to understanding what balance means. The balance point will not be the same for all personalities. And clearly there is a continum across several dimensions which define what is to be human.

    On one dimension, Maslow’s (sp) hierarchy has to be “balanced”. Another dimension is being faithful to your values and norms (family, environment, culture conditions). And, acknowledging that one of the critical differentiations of being Homo Sapiens Spaiens (sp) is active engagement in being socially engaged with others.

    An open question is “What time quanta do you require for being balanced?” Simple illustration – if you act exclusively in one mode for a minute, day, year, 1/3 of your life, then move to one of the others, on average, you are just as balanced. But, there is an enormous difference in how smoothly integrated you are as the time quanta varies.

    Many of the differences in achieving balance you see in the people you are analyzing are because of differences in their choice of time-quanta. If your quanta is smaller than theirs, you see them as unbalanced. If its greater than theirs, you see them as balanced (more or less).

    Another consideration; what does it mean to be dysfunctional? I believe your topic of work-life balance is exploring this more complex question. I assert that historic greatness (genius, country builder, conquerer, etc.) is achievevd by people who are not balanced. They are very one dimensional. They compete with others who are balanced and the momentum they achieve in their one dimension focus overcomes the “balanced” ones.

    So, on a personal level, again, know yourself. If you are one-dimensional, and thirst for greatness, then do NOT become balanced. If you are not a savant, then work-life balance makes great sense in defining what a fulfilling live is for you. If your “self” is capable of passion in more than one dimension, you have to live a balanced life so to achieve your “highest and best use”.

    This raises the final

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