“And if you are committed to making progress and ready to devote yourself to the effort, then give up everything else. Otherwise your ambivalence will only ensure that you don’t make progress… Formerly, when you were devoted to worthless pursuits, your friends found you congenial company. But you can’t be a hit in both roles. To the extent you cultivate one you will fall short in the other.” -Epictetus

We’re all familiar with the concept of balance: that illusive state of idyllic being for which we spend our days striving. The irony being that sometimes the striving for brings us more stress than what balance is supposed to free us from. We try so hard to be “balanced" that we end up finding we’re not particularly thrilled in any one area. We’re just, tired. On the contrary, imagine being so dialed into exactly what your present circumstances or desires demand of you that you freely make decisions that may seem counterintuitive or painful on the surface, but in actuality, accelerate the time to achieving your goals. Sometimes over-indexing on balance slows us down—and not in the good, “stop and smell the roses” way, but in the way that makes us endure unwanted things for longer than necessary.

And so, what might be better than balance? Clarity. Clarity in what this season demands of you.