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What the heck is turf/life balance?

By |  July 9, 2019 0 Comments
Carlos Arraya

Carlos Arraya

I took a moment to reflect on the outcomes of several professional sporting events that occurred in the spring and early summer months. The results not only felt strange to me personally, but the strange feeling made me question if the professional sporting universe actually was out of balance.

The Kentucky Derby winner was disqualified, the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup, the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship (go Canada!), the Minnesota Twins have the best record in baseball — then some normalcy — the New York Yankees are in first place in the American League East and Brooks Koepka won another PGA Championship.

No matter how sports oriented or nonsports oriented you are, those are some strange outcomes. It is a trait of mine to gravitate toward questions. In this case, my question is “What is balance?” I then proceeded to perform what many of us do when our minds are in flux and a question needs answering. I said, “Hey Google, what’s the definition of balance?”

The Google cube voiced various definitions back to me in noun and verb form, but one definition — in verb form — caught my undivided attention. Under this definition, balance is defined: To offset or compare the value of (one thing) with another.

With this definition, it’s safe to state that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to achieving a life balance. You can’t standardize things that are valued differently by others. All of us have select styles in clothing, recreational activities, art, music, colors, taste for food — the differences go on and on. By definition, all living organisms, including golf courses, are unique and require specific management to achieve desired results.

No matter how different living organisms are, there is one inescapable reality. In time, all things evolve. Evolution occurs by force or by desire. Though that sounds harsh, the beauty is that there is a path that allows you to choose. You get to decide your definition of turf/life balance. You get to focus on what’s important to you and prioritize your life and work. Some of us are wired to be on a golf course from sun up to sundown, while others find ways to manage their workdays to be shorter and still achieve great success. Others may be working for demanding groups and find great fulfillment in meeting tremendous expectations.

No matter what you’ve experienced and how your evolution occurs, there is one other certainty; you are not wrong! Based on the definition I shared with you, it’s your balance; it’s your custom size that fits only you.

As our golf courses take shape daily and evolve with time, let’s not lose focus on our own evolution. Think clearly about what turf/life balance looks like for you.

I challenge you to perform an exercise, one that requires you to have others participate with you. Write yourself a draft of what you think turf/life balance should be for yourself. Next, ask your boss to do the same thing from his/her viewpoint regarding your professional life. Lastly, ask your family to draft their view on what they think it is. Somewhere during the exercise, you will learn more about what’s actually required and not required in managing turf, then life items will be highlighted for you.

Finally, you can have a clear view of what balance means in your world. A custom fit! As you journey forward, double-check your balance and support others who have not yet learned that balance is not only possible but achievable. Balance does exist. It’s your own and it evolves. Enjoy living your best turf/life balance.

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