What whitewater rafting can teach you about life balance

Another group with our company, Wave Expeditions (from volcanoarenal.com/tours/white-water-rafting/)

I went white water rafting a few days ago in Costa Rica.  We were on the Rio Toro, which has class III and IV rapids (the highest level is VI).  It was my first time rafting and I had a blast.  I even managed not to fall in to the river.  I attribute that mainly to the way that I was sitting in the raft.  You are supposed to perch on the side, never in the center, and when a big rapid was approaching I would angle myself so that if I lost my balance I would fall into the raft instead of into the river.  So while I was still sitting on the edge, I never fell in.

A lot of life is about balance.  Everyone tells you that you need it, and that’s true.  Just like physical balance, life balance needs to be practiced to be strengthened, and it is vitally important.  But as much as people tell you that you need to live a balanced life, almost no one tells you what to do when you lose your balance.

It is inevitable that you will lose your balance at some point.  Just like on the river, no matter how strong you are there can always be a big enough wave that comes along and knocks you over.  It isn’t enough to just try to be balanced.  You also have to think about which direction you will fall when you lose that balance.  By positioning yourself ahead of time, you can control the direction that you fall and make sure that you land safely.

What would happen if you suddenly lost your life balance?  Would you lash out at friends and family, suddenly be broke, or even be physically hurt?  We all have our own balancing acts that would result in different consequences if we fell.  Consider what you can do to lean in a safer direction.  Maybe that means starting an automatic savings account, or cultivating a network of friends and family.  Maybe it means putting your medical history on a thumb drive and attaching it to a keychain, or quitting drinking.  Whatever it is that represents your furthest possible fall, you should plan now, while you’re still balanced, how to fall properly.  It could mean the difference between staying safe in the raft, or landing in the river.