Balance at the Speed of Innovation

Balance has more to do with the words “both” and “blending” than with the words “either”/”or.” Competitiveness, unrealistic responsibilities, over structured lives, congestion - these all don’t make us unbalanced; only we can do that to ourselves. They do, however, demand that we BE balanced.

Balance in innovation is not so much a matter of getting more things done, as it is a matter of deciding what is important (and what is not important) and investing time in the important things. In innovation, we must balance structure and flexibility, hard work and dreaminess, keeping our nose to the grindstone and being foot loose and fancy free. This balanced approach to innovation can be represented in many ways:

• Get to your destination and enjoy the journey
• Swim up stream and go with the flow
• Be scientific and artistic
• Be disciplined and spontaneous
• Be proactive and react

When we have an “and consciousness,” we can often do both. A well balanced day of innovation includes not only accomplishing what you set out to do, but also enjoying life along the way. Stop and smell the roses today and you will be a better innovator tomorrow.