Bridges are an amazing feat of architecture. Some are just a few feet long, going over a little stream. Others span huge distances, sometimes miles. Every bridge makes it possible for us to easily get from one location to another.
What’s all this got to do with success?
Well, the very thing that makes a bridge a bridge relates directly to our own lives.
Tension.
Think about this for a second. At exactly the same moment, two opposing forces are working on that bridge. One is the force of gravity, pulling it down. The other is the forces generated by the shape and structure of the bridge, like its suspension wires or foundation posts, pulling it up.
These opposites work together to make that bridge stable. To make it something we can cross.
If one force becomes stronger than the other, the bridge either explodes or collapses.
You may remember seeing pictures of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940. That bridge swung and danced in the wind, for all sorts of reasons. Bottom line, the construction of it was not appropriate for what is was supposed to do. It’s tension became unbalanced. And it plummeted into the river with great style and fanfare.
Tension is what makes our lives work. Don’t try to reduce your tension, unless of course it is extreme. What’s more important is understanding how to balance the tensions in your life.
Action – Draw a line down the middle of some paper. On one side, write out all the positive forces in your life. On the other, note all the negatives.
Look closely – where are these out of balance with each other? Does one side have more things on it than the other? Are some quite extreme all on their own.
Put it on paper and see where you can take control of the opposing forces in your life.
(Agree, disagree or have an interesting experience relating to this posting? Leave your reply in the comments box.)