—Abdullah A. Badawi
Balance is one of the secrets to a productive life in my opinion. Balance is the characteristic that allows exploration to the limits of one’s ability with the capacity to recover. It’s also a rule which says ‘you don’t get something for nothing’. To enjoy, succeed, learn, or control, you must suffer, earn, listen, and plan. Expanding on this notion, you will find a list of desires, and what you must do to earn them, below.
A parent must find a way to be an expert in balance. When to be tender and when to be authoritative, when to help and when not to, when to talk and when to listen, are all decisions parents make every day. When you have more than one child, another sort of balance is necessary.
From “The Power of Dadhood”
“Whereas a bold son or daughter may need to be reeled in a bit, a mild-mannered child may need a push toward adventure. We as parents, and especially fathers, provide the counterbalance to what we perceive is a child’s tendency toward adventurous behavior or meekness. It is not unusual to have one child who has to be talked into things and another who needs to be talked out of things. Spare judgment on either and be careful not to compare…."
Success can be easily identified in a narrow area like sports or academic achievement, but it can be very vague as it applies to the whole person. Rarely can an ability in one area make up for deficiencies in others. For example, if you are good at making money but bad at handing it, there will be issues. If you are intelligent but have no people skills, good ideas may be lost.
Another area of balance that is so important is the yin and yang of a mother and a father. The skills of each may overlap in some areas, but a mother can make up for the skills a father lacks, and vice versa. And each family has differing degrees of diversity and cooperation within. The goal should be to balance the two. Too much cooperation among each other can be smothering and limiting, too much diversity in lifestyle and personality can create chaos. However, a good balance of diversity and cooperation will allow families to thrive.
Summary
Again, from “The Power of Dadhood”:
Be Balanced……Be involved but not too involved. Be principled but don’t be preachy. Be consistent but not inflexible. Be loving, but don’t be a pushover. Be fun but be respected. Know your own limits. You cannot be consistent if you don’t have principles. You can’t be loving or fun if you are not involved.
Balance in your life home and away.
- If you want to Learn, you must listen.
- If you want Growth, you must take risks.
- If you want Responsibility, you must be responsible.
- If you want Commitment, you must be involved.
- If you want Achievement, you must have goals.
- If you want Success, you must have persistence.
- If you want Control, you must plan.
- If you want Rewards, you must provide effort.
- If you want to Be Liked, you must like yourself.
- If you want Love, you must be patient.
- If you want a Challenge, you must dare to improve