“Everything in life requires balance” is a generalized statement. We aren’t saying that everything should be out of balance, but we are saying that balance must not and cannot exist everywhere.
As much as balance can be good, it can also be bad. These generalized statements come from people who want to sound wise but aren’t practical. Instead of learning true knowledge, instead of learning from real philosophers and real life, this society learns from worn-out clichés that only sound acceptable and logical, but are actually deep-rooted beliefs that keep the mindset trapped.
Stress is imbalance, but success is imbalance too
Stress is an “uneven” equation (an expression stating that two sides, i.e., quantities/values, are equal).
This sounds paradoxical, but it is also paradoxical to sleep for 8 hours and feel tired. Or to have everything in life and feel unhappy.
Stress occurs when the equation falls out of balance and the two sides are no longer equal. An equation means A=B, e.g., 8+3=11. 8+3 is one side, 11 is the other. (Arbitrary numbers, for demonstration purposes).
If the first part is us and the second part is the problems, then stress would look like this:
8+3 on one side, 57 on the other. More precisely, 8+3 < 57; that is imbalance. But progress also stems from the same principle. Progress would look like this: 500+500 on one side, 11 on the other. More precisely, 500+500 > 11. This means we are producing more solutions than life throws difficulties at us. This tells us that we must rise above “balance” in order to succeed. Balance isn’t even desirable because, in terms of success, it usually means stagnation.
Stress occurs when: internal capacity < external pressure
Stagnation (balance/equilibrium) occurs when: internal capacity = external pressure
Progress occurs when: internal capacity > external pressure
We do this with exercise. Someone might not be able to lift 50 kg. If they accept that situation, they agree with the equation. But we don’t agree with the equation; we work on ourselves, we train, we eat right, and after a while, we start lifting even more than 50 kg. What have we done? We’ve changed the circumstances we were in, which mathematically said 48=48 and that 48 cannot be 50. A law of nature. Dо you see how much power we possess – we can change the circumstances.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that EVERYTHING in life needs balance. It’s not true. An equation is balance. Stress is an imbalance of external forces versus internal forces – specifically, a greater force from the outside compared to the one inside. Progress is an imbalance of external forces versus internal forces – specifically, a greater force from the inside compared to the one outside.
Instead of wanting balance, we should want to strengthen one side of the equation – ourselves.
Even to make a simple physical movement, we must use more energy than gravity uses to keep us in place! In other words, we move through an imbalance of forces.
This is a different approach to things. Instead of an approach that seeks “comfort,” this is an approach that seeks to live, to move forward. 💪
Dino Nikolic
Creator and author of Muskultura
Feb. 24, 2026
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