a lifestyle blog for book lovers

Balance isn’t a see-saw. It’s a game of twister.

Twister as a metaphor analogy for work life balance

My favorite session from the Quitter Conference was led by Matt Chambers. Matt’s a husband, father of 6 (including a special needs son), dreamer, director of the NGO SafeWorld, and CEO of gener.us.

And he wanted to talk to us about finding balance in our lives.

Matt Chambers addresses Quitter Conference about work life balance
With a resume like yours, I’m all ears.

Matt said that he used to view balance as a tightrope, or a see-saw. But now he thinks those are terrible metaphors for balance.

Take the see-saw. A see-saw implies that the variables are known, limited, and within our control. But real life? It’s not like that. We have no idea what’s coming next, and most of it is out of our control anyway.

Matt said a better metaphor for balance is a Twister board. Because balance isn’t about keeping things even: it’s about not falling down.

Twister as a metaphor for life balance
The game of Twister as a visual for balance

Matt said that Twister board represents our lives. See all those colored circles that make up the board? Those circles represent the things that may trip you up, cause you to fall. What fears get in the way of your dreams? What interferes with you living your best life?  What variables are beyond your control? Each of those things takes up a space on the board.

Here’s the key: You need a person in your life who will cover each space and will keep you from falling. 

Life is like the game of Twister. We need other people in our lives who can carry us through, who can cover the spaces that we can’t control.

We need other people to keep us from falling.

Is your Twister board covered? Who keeps you from falling?

photo credit 1, 2

5 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Tim says:

    Twister is an inspired analogy for life balance, Anne. One aspect of the game that I think really applies to life is how spinning the dial identifies what you do next. Sometimes it tells you to move the very same limb you finally just got placed down safely. “What do you mean left foot blue? I just put my left foot on yellow. Pick something else for me to move!”

    I think I look at life like that sometimes. “What do you mean I have to deal with that part of my life? I thought I just got that part settled!”

    Twistin’,
    Tim

  2. Jillian Kay says:

    Because balance isn’t about keeping things even: it’s about not falling down.

    I like that! I like your addition about the support system too. If I can add, even if you do fall down, at least you played the game!

  3. “Because balance isn’t about keeping things even: it’s about not falling down.”

    “We need other people in our lives who can carry us through, who can cover the spaces that we can’t control.

    We need other people to keep us from falling.”

    *love* this. I think it’s so true, and it’s one of the reasons that while I love where we live in many many ways, if a good opportunity to live closer to family came up, it’d be hard not to take it.

  4. Suzette says:

    Anne,
    Love this post!! It makes me want to run out and buy Twister!! I really identify with this analogy and WISH I could have attended that conference cause it seems to have been so inspiring and a great springboard for reflecting on life. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Judy G Gibson says:

    It’s certain family members and trusted friends who keep me from falling. And yet, if I do, in fact, fall, they lovingly help get up and keep on going! Thanks for this, Anne, I enjoyed your perspective.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We appreciate a good conversation in the comments section. Whether we’re talking about books or life, differing opinions can enrich a discussion when they’re offered for the purpose of greater connection and deeper understanding, which we whole-heartedly support. However, my team and I will delete comments that are hurtful or intended to shame members of this community, particularly if they are left by first-time commenters. We have zero tolerance for hate speech or bigotry of any kind. Remember that there are real people on the other side of the screen. We’re grateful our community of readers is characterized by kindness, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Thank you for helping us keep it that way.

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Plus weekly emails with book lists, reading life tips, and links to delight avid readers.