Balance: Is it for you?

I hear a lot of talk about balance and its importance. I cannot help wondering if balance is really always desirable and useful.

For example, often a "balanced diet" is recommended, but I know people who have improved their health immensely by becoming vegetarians. This is not very balanced between meat and vegetables.

I imagine that Tiger Woods life is not "balanced" between playing golf and other sports and other parts of his life. I understand that over the course ofhis life, the time which he spends on different aspects of his life may be more balance -- if he lives to 80.

My point is that, for many of us, balance may provide us certain level of comfort and security because it is unlikely that all parts of our life are going to be complete disasters. And this keeps us happy.

However, I admire those who lead "unbalanced" lives. They focus on something completely and often achieve great success -- and spectacular failures. I remember listening to an Olympic skier talk about how for the 2-3 years before the Olympics, he did not open mail, see movies, talk to their families, etc. That's dedication and perhaps, insanity. BTW, he didn't win a medal.

Finally, I consider being married to be "unbalanced". I imagine there are men who are able to balance being single and married at the same time, but I am definitely not one of them.