'Balance'.
This fuckin word.
Many have dismissed it.
Many have forgotten or not know the true meaning behind this.

Everything in this world, in life, needs balance.
You can't be too overconfident, and you can't be too humble.
You need to be confident to know that what you are doing or saying is true to yourself, and you need to be humble to not get over your head.

Can't be having fun all the time, you need to work too.
That is why the term "work hard, play hard" exists.
Many have forgotten the importance of balance.
Being unable to grasp what the true meaning behind this word is.

I grew up in Singapore, being taught to get good results, get good grades, get a good paying job and live the rest of my life like this. Basically the Singaporean route. But one thing that is missing from here is "fun". This word "fun" is so important in our lives and I will be writing about this in another article. But the point is there is no balance when work is all we know. Hence why many Singaporeans complain about not having "work life balance".

I was born rich. Born into a bungalow filled with love. Had a great childhood. Not a golden spoon, but a silver spoon in my mouth. Still, it is a huge privilege.

Years go by, bad decisions made, and that was where I got a taste of what many have experienced when they were born. A wooden spoon. During my teenage years, money was always in my mind. How much to save, how much to set aside for this and that. But looking back, I am fortunate to have experienced both lives. Because that is what balance is. Like the saying goes, experience is the best teacher.

You can't be too engrossed with whatever you are eating.
Everything doesn't have to be healthy food. Sometimes it is okay to have a nice meal. It affects the mental side as well.

A relationship can never be full when it is one sided
There has to be balance. It takes two hands to clap.
Love from both sides.

Balance isn't just about restraint either. It's knowing when to push and when to pull back.
Too much discipline and you burn out.
Too little and you drift.
The people who last, in anything, are the ones who know when to switch gears.

Even silence needs balance.
You can't be talking all the time, but you can't be silent all the time either.
Say what needs to be said, and let the rest breathe.

Money is the same, and my god so people forgot about this point.
Chase it too hard, you lose yourself. Ignore it completely, you lose control of your life. Balance is knowing how much is enough.
Too many chased it too hard, where they forgot that money is just a bonus in life.

Balance isn't just something you find once and keep forever.
It has to be maintained.
Like a plant, you water it, you prune it, you check on it.
The moment you think you've "figured out" balance, that's usually when life kinda fucks with you a little.

You can't be too attached, and you can't be too detached either.
Care too much about what people think, you lose yourself.
Care too little, you become someone nobody wants to be around.
Somewhere in between, that's where you actually get to be.. well.. you.

Balance also means knowing when to hold on and when to let go.
Some people hold onto everything, every damn grudge, every "what if", every person who has already left.
Some people let go too fast, don't even fight for what's worth fighting for.
Both, leaves you empty.

I've learnt that even ambition needs balance. You need to want more, want better, that's what pushes you to do more.
But if all you ever do is chase the next thing, you never actually live in the moment you are in right now. You forgot to live in the moment, the present.
You reach the top and realise you missed the experience of the whole fucking climb.

Same with rest.
Rest is not weakness, rest is part of the process.
But too much rest and you rot.
Discipline without rest breaks the body. Rest without discipline breaks the future.

Even confidence and doubt need each other.
Doubt keeps you sharp, keeps you checking your work, keeps you humble.
Confidence keeps you moving, keeps you from freezing up.
Too much doubt, you never start.
Too much confidence, you never improve.
You need both voices in your head, just not shouting at the same volume.

Balance is also giving and receiving.
Some people give and give until there's nothing left of them.
Some people take and take and call it "just how life works".
Neither lasts.
The strongest people I know give generously, but they also know how to receive, how to accept help, how to accept love, how to appreciate, without feeling guilty about it.

Even anger and patience.
You can't suppress everything and call it peace, that's just a delayed big ass explosion.
But you can't react to everything either, that's just chaos.
Balance is choosing your battles, and letting the small things pass like wind.

And the biggest one. The one I think about the most.

Family and ambition.
Chase your dreams too hard, you forget to call home.
Stay too close to home, you never chase anything.
The ones who make it far without losing everyone around them, they figured out how to hold both hands at once.

That's the thing about balance.
It's not glamorous. It doesn't trend.
But everything that lasts, love, health, money, mind, body, it all comes back to this one word that everyone talks about and almost nobody actually practices.

I’m not religious or anything, but I enjoy Buddha’s teaching.
Buddha has taught what Nirvana is, what Love is, what Balance is.
That's why in prayers, we press both palms together. Two hands, meeting as one.

Balance my friends.
Don't be too serious in life.
Don't have too much fun either.
Remember this word for the rest of your life.

Tattoo this word on your body if you have to, which I definitely will hehe.