In algebra and chemistry, we were taught that both sides of an equation is always balanced. It’s not too coincidental that this same principle applies to all aspects of life. Even without random unknown variables of X and Y, or the combination of chemical elements, balance is something we all strive for. Okay, maybe not all of us, since people do go to extremes. What kind of world would we live in if there were no extremists? Who would the leaders be if no one was passionate about different topics? The subject matter experts? The world-class musicians? The scientists? Let’s face it; the world would be pretty dull if people all had the same common and balanced interests. With the extremists, the commoners, and the lazy, everything kind of ticks and moves along.
Balance is one of those things that is completely relative, as with everything (I’m thinking of the phrase, “it depends” right now).
In the workplace, we are beginning to get encouragement of having ‘work-life balance.’ Some people adhere by this entirely, and others cannot comprehend what the concept is, or just choose not to. There will always be a mixture of all types, and perhaps companies move forward because of the proportion of workaholics to work-life-balancers out there. If there are no workaholics that disobey work-life balance, I think there would be a lot less competition to be bigger and better. Lower standards would be acceptable. But of course, being the humans we are, most of us have a competitive nature. All of us are trying to survive at the very least.
Lately I have been thinking about the fact that when you gain something, you lose something. It’s definitely not a new concept, but just something on my mind. I spent an hour last week watching the latest Grey’s Anatomy, a TV show that I’m guilty of. The only benefit it provides me with is an emotional workout, and it makes me think about people, relationships, and those dynamics. I guess that is not a total loss in brain cells, but obviously, I lost an hour of time where I could have been reading and learning something new, talking to an old friend, or resting. The ambitious folks believe that all of the above can be done simultaneously. I do beg to differ with multitasking at times, since the quality would suffer greatly on all activities 
Take the gain/loss concept on a larger scale. People may dedicate their lives to a specialized field and know everything there is to know about that field, yet do not have knowledge on other fields. Our world needs specialists, who then create comparative advantage, as economic theory suggests. However, the specialists are not always disadvantaged, assuming they have the intelligence to quickly adapt and catch up to speed on topics that are unfamiliar (with the other specialists). Gaining and losing is really about choice.
I think I’m still in the constant battle of figuring out what my specialty is, as well as the other little pockets that I would like to delve into. It would be wonderful to know a little about a lot.
Well said. Just the other day I was explaining this concept to a friend of mine over here…maybe I’ll forward your nice post to her.
Perhaps you should think of “finding your specialty” as a process of exploration, i.e. a journey, rather than a battle.
Good point. I didn’t mean to sound so pessimistic with the word battle! Thanks