Balance

m realizing just how funny the balance is between confidence and egotism. Between humility and insecurity. It's really tough for a human being to remain at a comfortable and productive balance between these polarizations over a period of time. Why in the world is that? I can think of points in my life when I was at that point...that point of balance between these polarizations in which I was at my "best". Something inevitably would happen...life...that would throw me off kilter...and my search for that balance would begin again. If you are too far to the insecure end of the spectrum, and you fail to achieve your best contribution to the world as God intended. When you are too far to the "confident" (over-confident) end of the spectrum, and your self-love gets in the way of your ability to achieve your best possible contribution to the world. Both extremes leave you more open to personal sin of one sort or another. So, what is the key to finding and maintaining that balance over a long period of time? Of being confident and secure in your abilities and talents, but not so over-inflated and involved in these talents and gifts that you become pre-occupied with yourself and not as concerned with your impact on the world? When you consider what impacts your self image...they are necessarily culturally based. What is defined as socially desirable...and your possession of these characteristics or the absence of these characteristics has a big impact on your ability to achieve this balance...and what it takes to maintain it. So, what are the culturally valuable characteristics? Well, in no particular order, they are (as I see them):

* Beauty/Attractiveness
* Intelligence
* Money
* Power
* Charisma
* Acceptance

These are a few that come to mind now. There are more. But, it is interesting to consider how this balance is so fleeting for most of us. Few of us can achieve and maintain this balance throughout our lives. I have yet to meet anyone that has been able to achieve this. In looking back over my life, I can point quite easily to the times when I have achieved this balance, and I can point just as easily to the times when this balance was completely out of my reach. But, for all my reflection and "self awareness"....I can't identify specifically what the conditions were in each instance where I had found the ideal balance between these polarizations. However, I recognize that I am in balance as soon as I'm there. When I'm there..that's when I do my greatest work. It's when I'm the happiest. It's when I feel I am able to contribute the most to the world around me. I'm in sync with the world around me. At any rate...this is another example of our need to find balance...a concept not often considered and very often de-valued in our social structure.