Do you remember the challenge, the fear, and the thrill of learning to ride your bike as a child? Do you remember how proud you felt when you finally got the upper hand on gravity? Didn't you feel like standing on your handle bars and screaming "I'm King of the World!" You had acquired the "art of balance" to keep your peddling in a mostly forward, albeit erratic, direction. Life was grand.

Well, balance remains a big part of our lives. It just takes on different forms when we grow up. I emphasize the art of balance since feeling might be more relevant than logic in determining the current state of balance in our lives. Although it's a personal process and a private journey, here are a few questions to kick-start your assessment:

First, what does your gut tell you? Are the various components of your life in balance? Do you work to live or live to work? Are you becoming multi-dimensional or one-dimensional?

At work:

• Is there a good balance between the various components of your business? If one sector is leading can the others keep up?
• Is there a good balance of skills within your management team? Do you encourage your team to continually learn new skills to expand their talent set?
• Do you seek and encourage alternate points of view to balance your perspective before reaching a major decision?
• Do you periodically assess both the strengths and weaknesses of your organization?
• Do you routinely seek feedback from your employees, your customers, your suppliers, your advisers, and the other stakeholders in your organization?

At home & everywhere else:

• Do you experience regret for not spending more time with your family?
• Are you "missing in action" from too many important family functions?
• Is religion and/or spirituality a part of your life?
• Do exercise, health and nutrition have a role in your routine?
• Are you a contributing part of the community in which you live? Is giving back part of the equation in your life?
• Are you developing and learning each day? Are your horizons growing or shrinking?

Remember, we thrive best when our lives are in balance and we generally know when things are out of kilter. We all experience periods when our lives are out of balance and we know it, but life's circumstances dictate that reality for the time being. We can only change when we have the opportunity.

The challenge is to keep "the art of balance" on your radar screen as you navigate through the shoals of life.