Note: This is the last email in the series about finding balance.  Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

I heard a fascinating story about Andre Agassi on the radio recently.

(yes, I do listen to the radio – even though it’s 2022)

Agassi was preparing for a match against Becker and was studying footage of Becker’s games.

Agassi noticed that Becker would stick his tongue out just before he served.

(A bit like this: 😋 😛)

And as Agassi watched the footage, he spotted something remarkable.

The direction of Becker’s tongue matched the direction of Becker’s serve.  Almost without fail.

Becker had a “tell” (just like poker players have tells).  And Agassi had discovered it.

Anyone who knows tennis will know just how much of an advantage this is.

But here’s the thing…

Agassi chose not to use this information during his match with Becker, with one exception.

The really big points.

Like a break point on Becker’s serve.  Or during a tie break.

Even though he had information he could use to beat Becker, Agassi used this information sparingly.

He knew overusing this “winning strategy” could stop it being a winning strategy if Becker caught on.

In other words Agassi knew how important it was to stay balanced, even with a winning strategy.

And this is a great lesson. 

I talked about my experience trying to find more balance earlier this week.

My old strategy was to focus my time on work. 

But eventually I realised this wasn’t a winning strategy.  The strategy was getting in the way of what I wanted from life.

Instead of focussing on one thing (like work), I realised I needed to find more balance across everything.

In other words, balance itself needed to be my strategy.  Like it was for Agassi.

And I know people are thinking a lot about balance at the moment. 

It often comes up in conversations with my coaching clients.

Not just finding more balance at work…

Or balancing work with life…

But finding balance across all aspects of life.

Like balancing career with money, family, friends, relationships, health, hobbies, leisure, contribution and personal growth. And other areas too.

Right now, I’m delving into balance with a couple of clients. 

We’re exploring the clients’ desired balance and strategies they can use to get there.

And we’re looking at the benefits of balance too. Like greater productivity, hitting goals and living a healthier and more peaceful life.

Now, everyone’s situation is different.

Maybe work has taken over and you want to do something about it. 

Or maybe you have good balance in your life already, but some tweaks could get you from good to great.

Whatever your situation – if I offered you the opportunity to get more balance in your life, would you be interested?

I’m thinking of doing a small series of Zoom workshops in the next few weeks.

Together we’ll go deeper on what great balance looks like for you and the strategies you can use to get there.

And I think you’ll get a lot out of it.

If that sounds interesting, reply to this email with the word “interested”.  And if there’s enough interest I’ll put it together.

Even if this isn’t for you, I hope you found this email series useful.

Because I fundamentally believe that balance is one of the biggest secrets to a happier life.  

That's it for today.

- Tom

p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me