This may be controversial but, I do not think asymmetry and balance are contradictory. Quite the opposite: I need both for a meaningful life.

unlikely animal friends - ambition and balance :)

The tension between working ambitiously and with more balance is a constant companion of mine. I recently listened to a podcast that challenged me to really think about this, hard. The guest, Graham Weaver, had a life philosophy grounded in his lived experience as a private equity investor that on the surface, not surprisingly, was the opposite of mine: live an asymmetrical life.

Surprising, I agreed with him.

In fact, I think living an asymmetrical life AND working with balance are two pieces of the same puzzle of how to lead a more meaningful life.

living an asymmetrical life

Weaver is a private equity investment entrepreneur - not exactly known for their balanced lifestyle. Definitely not my kind of role model. And asymmetry is the literal opposite of balance.

But stepping back from my assumptions and biases for a moment, I listened to his rationale. According to his experience in private equity, the biggest returns come from a small few of investments. These "big bets" have multiple, stacked, upside advantages. In other words, they have a lot going for them, perhaps great leadership, great culture, growth industry, great timing, and more, and that creates an exponential advantage for success. Graham illustrates this stacked advantage with an interesting analogy: asymmetry - and claims that likewise, in life, certain principles also yield a far bigger ROI for success in life.

In other words, living an asymmetrical life will dramatically expand your chances of living an authentic, meaningful life.

His core guiding principles for living an asymmetrical life are:

Do hard things.
Do YOUR thing.
Do it for decades.
Tell your story.

So....is living an asymmetrical life really compatible with working with more balance?

Yes.

💯

principles for working with more balance

For me, working with more balance is a state of active intention. It means working with less reactivity and more creativity, especially in the face of uncertainty and discomfort. Balance is dynamic - not static - and therefore, it's actually completely compatible - and I'd argue necessary - to an authentic, meaningful, ambitious (asymmetrical) life.

I want to add to these initial principles -- but take them to the next level. Because without balance, these can (and do) easily turn into another unwinnable, endless race, fueled with the reactive side of ambition: feeling not enough.

(But, you are.)

Here are my 10 principles for an asymmetrically-balanced life, full of heart AND impact.

Do hard things; challenge is where you grow ...
+ Get comfortable with discomfort and uncertainty
Do your thing; not someone else's thing...
+ Find your daily awe
+ Do creative things
Do it for decades; you will get better & wiser over time
+ Practice being present (mind & body)
~~Tell~~ Create your story; envision it and you can make it happen.
+ Finding meaning
+ Connect with others

For now I'm going to keep it high level - but I plan to dive into each of these a little further in future newsletters. Because if you ask me - yes, you can be ambitious, asymmetrical, whatever - and still work with more balance. It might not be the standard M.O., but maybe it's time to make it that.

where to start

If you ask me, you can start with ANY ONE of these 10 principles - and if I wanted to be a coach about it, I could even turn this into a wheel and ask you to rate yourself on each pie slice!

Actually, I made it into a table.... 😝

I just can't help myself...I do love a visual diagram. AND I am using this for myself, to assess where and how I want to be more intentional with what it means to work with balance, authenticity and personal meaning (i.e. purpose).

Here: Give yourself a quick self-assessment 💕⬅️(my beta version)

Reply directly to this email and let me know what you think. What it brings up for you. No strings attached - I'm genuinely curious! 🙏🤔

Stay playful

Finally, if your kids are anything like mine, they will want to print this picture out so they can share it with their teacher. Feel free to share with anyone you like. Hopefully it makes a few more people smile .... :)