Balance

This morning---as I enjoy my spiced cafe au lait with the front door wide open so I can watch the rain and the classical music playing softly in the background---I contemplate balance.They say everything in moderation, even moderation. Which is to say sometimes it's OK to splurge, whether it be by listening to your favorite song on repeat or having more than once slice of cake. But that's not what I am talking about, I am mentally asking myself what is the healthy level of emotional and personal balance?The other day at church the priest was talking about being humble and this started my mental musing. I value being humble and I try to be modest but as an aspiring writer, whose success lies on promoting myself and publicizing myself, there is a bit of a grey zone. Is it self-aggrandizing to make cards with my name on them and pass them out at every opportunity? Is it self-effacing to say "oh my writing is not that good..."I believe you can have both, be humble, modest, and kind and still promote yourself and recognize the value and skill you bring to the world. I don't think it is shameful to have a dream and want to pursue it.Both sides of this balance beam will, undoubtedly, illicit criticism. I can see how, when trying to promote my writing or handing out my cards a certain group of people will think---or even say---who do you think you are? Stephen King? And I can hear the other end of the spectrum of people giving me a mental, if not physical, nudge to pass out my cards, pursue freelance gigs, and tell people about my writing.My conclusion (which is the same as my philosophy about life) is to face ever opportunity honestly and with an open heart. Sometimes this results in hurt but that's OK, it's foolish to think we could go through life without ever getting hurt, it comes with the territory of loving other people and putting ourselves out there. I have to recognize that the people who criticize are coming from a place of their own self-doubt or criticism or are indeed afraid for my failure. But as Paulo Coelho says, in one of my all-time favorite books The Alchemist, "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." Which reminds me of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural address, where he stated, the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself."While FDR and I are talking about very different things, the common theme is that fear is crippling and fear itself is what causes failure. We cannot be afraid. We cannot be afraid of the other, he or she whom we do not know and we cannot be afraid of failing because if we fully believe that we will succeed and that we are willing to give it everything we can, we will not fail.I wish you balance. And I wish that you not be afraid to pursue your dreams---whether they be learning to scuba dive or publishing a book.