The Myth of Balance and the Power of Harmony

From Chaos to Symphony: Why Harmony Beats Balance Every Time

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

We’ve all been sold the idea that balance is the goal—work-life balance, perfect routines, evenly distributed time across all areas of life. But here’s the truth: balance is a myth. It doesn’t exist in the way we think it does. If you’re constantly trying to give equal energy to everything, you end up half-assing everything.

Chris Lee put it best when he said:

“I actually don’t believe in balance. And I tell my clients this all the time. Balance means everything gets equal time and energy, and that’s impossible because then you're going to wind up half-assing everything. So, what I try to teach is harmony. When you go and watch a symphony perform, not all of the instruments are going to get the same amount of playing time, but when they play the right notes at the right time, it makes incredible music. And that's how I try to view life.”

That shift—from balance to harmony—changes everything.

Why Balance Fails

Coach Mac used to drill into us at Team Eagle One: there is no such thing as multitasking. You can’t focus on two things at once. If you try, you make mistakes. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are at multitasking—it’s bullsh*t. Your focus can only be in one place at a time.

That’s why balance fails. When you put energy into one thing, the other areas of your life inevitably take a backseat. And that’s okay—because life isn’t about keeping all the plates spinning perfectly. It’s about choosing what matters most in the moment.

Harmony Lets You Be Present

For me, that’s my nephew. When I’m with him, I don’t care about anything else. Work can wait. Gym can wait. Emails can pile up. That time with him is precious, and I choose it fully.

Some days, the boxes don’t get checked. That’s okay. If I wake up tomorrow, I’ll get to them. If I don’t wake up—then they didn’t matter anyway.

But sometimes, emergencies do happen. I had a work emergency at Disney. I needed to pause nephew time for 15 minutes. So, I gave him ice cream, handled my business, and then went right back to Disney without guilt. No freaking out. No frustration. No wishing I was anywhere else. Just shifting for the moment and then returning to what mattered.

Harmony means giving yourself permission to be fully present in whatever moment you’re in—without guilt.

The Power of Prioritization

I didn’t get upset when I couldn’t go to the gym. I was running around with a toddler. That’s a workout in itself. And when I dropped down for pushups, guess what? He wanted to do them with me. That moment of influence was worth far more than a trip to Planet Fitness.

Harmony lets you shift priorities without feeling like you’re failing. Some days, work will demand more. Other days, family takes the front seat. And sometimes, you’ll need to prioritize rest. What matters isn’t balancing it all perfectly—it’s being intentional about where your focus goes.

How to Embrace Harmony

1. Ditch the guilt. If you’re spending time on something important, don’t waste energy feeling bad about what’s being neglected.

2. Prioritize quality over quantity. Whether it’s gym time, family time, or work time—make it count.

3. Stop chasing the illusion of “doing it all.” Instead, decide what’s most important right now and go all in.

4. Accept the trade-offs. Something will always take a backseat, and that’s normal. What matters is that when you do give time to something, it’s focused and intentional.

5. Trust that everything has its season. Not every area of your life will grow at the same rate at the same time, and that’s okay.

Balance is an illusion. Harmony is the goal. And when you start thinking this way, you stop feeling like you’re failing—because instead of trying to juggle everything at once, you’re making music out of the chaos.