The keys to work-life balance. How to avoid the Sisyphus complex.

Most of us believe that Work-Life balance matters. However, in today's insane business world finding your balance seems elusive. The demands of job and family make the striving for well-being almost unreachable. At best it appears as a juggling act. We pray that we don't lose a step lest we fall off stride. With so much pressure, we begin to feel as though Sisyphus is our twin brother.

Are we too condemned in Tartarus to an eternity of rolling a boulder uphill and then watching it roll back down again? The answer is as plain as a pikestaff: Not if we know where we are going. The process starts by learning to recalibrate what is most important in our lives. Tibetan masters have understood our mental health dilemmas for centuries. The wise among them teach the power of riding "wind horse" as a means to mastering the principles of well-being.

They understand the trials and tribulations, which test people's lives in the manure of experience. So what is riding wind horse? Well, one thing is certain. It demands more than equestrian prowess. It requires being genuine. So how do certain personalities learn to ride with finesse while others drown in their own hubris? The secret lies in reconnecting to your authenticity.

Examine the case of Alexander The Great. He was ambitious, stubborn, and determined. What did he really gain by conquering the known world besides saddle sores and a swell head? As Aristotle’s principal student, Alexander believed he could ride wind horse. He rode hard and swept Persia in his wake. Next on his agenda were the desert sands of Central Asia until he came upon the Indus River. At the gateway to India, Alexander felt stymied. He had lost his sense of purpose. Trying to regain his leadership composure, he sent out two men to uncover a personage of great wisdom, which they found in a nearby village.

Alexander questioned the sadhu extensively and became even more flustered. Threatened with death, the sadhu replied, “You have the power to take away my physical body, but you do not have power over life and death. Only the Guru has this power.”

Intrigued by the Guru principle, Alexander remembered Aristotle’s discourse and spared the sage's life. Next, he entreated the wise one to return with his men to Greece. Holy men of India are reputed to have the unlimited powers Alexander craved. What he failed to see was that the sage did not ride the winds of power; he fostered the spirit of compassion.

The Indian sage agreed to Alexander’s request. However, he also foretold Alexander’s destiny. The sage recognised men who exercise absolute power feel invincible. They also have no taste for the truth. We need not make the same misguided mistakes. There is another path. The Tibetans refer to this as the path of management wisdom. It is the path of the sacred warrior where there is no violence. The principle of wind horse is best expressed in the following quotation by Lao Tzu:

“Mastering others is strength; Mastering yourself is true power”.

All professionals riding wind horse recognise the need for resilience. Leadership training and preparedness give us the necessary reflexes to handle challenges. Attempting to ride wind horse without discipline is a dangerous exercise. It can cause unwary untold suffering. It needs to be cultivated with awareness. Therein lies the trap. Certain personalities go for the dramatic power play. However, this path has no bells and whistles. There is neither applause nor bold strokes. Misguided riders just receive a heavy blow to their ego.

Your key is to cultivate an invisible mala. These are the beads of gentleness, courage, and self-knowledge. Learning to radiate goodness makes riding wind horse a sane proposition. Take, for example, the wealth of openness. There is no need for luxury brand yoga mats or organic cotton kung fu outfits from trendy shops in LA. Openness can not be fooled. It knows artifice from basic goodness.

Once I met a Buddhist monk sitting in the middle of a mountain stream. It was a hot summer’s day near Almora. I could feel his playfulness and approached. He motioned me to sit next to him. The water was refreshing and felt good.

“You must find your comfort zone. Observe the flow of water through my fingers. Never aim to grasp what cannot be held by the hand.”

“What can I learn from this gesture?”

“What you learn is to observe the inner sanctum of the closed fist. Unfurl your fingers thus”, he demonstrated.

“The hand is empty”, said I.

“Precisely”, he retorted.

Is this how we attempt to handle the wind horse of the unexpected?

Unwittingly, yes. The commonest pitfall every student of management and leadership succumbs to is termed "spiritual materialism". There is a universal tendency to see this process of personal development as one of self-improvement. There is nothing to measure. It is a question of getting rid of what you no longer need.

“The problem is that ego can convert anything to its use,” spoke the Buddhist monk, “even mindfulness.” The trick is to let go of the desired result rather than mental persistence.

So instead of making a dramatic wish list of careers or behavioural changes, start with just observing your nature. Let go of conflicting ideas and the wind horse will reshape your reality. The only barrier is overcoming fear. Dealing with fear is a complex phenomenon because it raises the issue of insecurity.

The more you fear, the more incapacitated you become. You become frozen in action and it becomes all-consuming if you don’t let go. Do not mistake fear for adversity. This was pretty sound counsel the monk shared. When fear dissipates, you experience a wave of self-confidence. Alexander didn’t understand this principle. He suffered from false pride. Fear plagued his every step. His leadership was based on coercion, not the mobile force of consensus building.

Whatever you do, do not go through the motions. Life does not imitate art. Life is not an action movie or video game. It just is. If you want to accomplish something worthy of your business acumen, then it is advisable to execute a strategy of selflessness. The more you give, the more you will receive in return. This is not the law of supply and demand. It is a higher law, and it registers every act like Newtonian physics.

Will you be completely understood if you pursue a path of compassion? Perhaps not by everyone, but then you will not mind. You will have discovered your inner strength. Gratitude will arise from your heart. Adversity will no longer seek to cross swords with you as you gallop to the beat of a different drummer.

About The Author

Andrew Scharf is an Award-Winning MBA Admissions Consultant 🌱 Executive & Career Coach recognised for helping top performers, and aspiring professionals be all they can be. His mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world at Whitefield Consulting. Have a professional project you would like to discuss, send him a DM.