Looking back on my career in the tech industry I can see that, while living the life was exhilarating, that period in my life lacked balance.

Not work-life balance — work has always been and will always be an integral part of my life — I’m talking about yin-yang balance.

What does that mean, yin-yang balance?

Look at it this way. Today I took a walk with my puppy Kira for like an hour and a half. She met some other dogs, made some new friends, and had a blast.

Funny thing is, I had a blast too. I met neighbors for the first time that I’ve lived down the road from for years. Then I came up with a potential solution to a sticky work problem that’s been bugging me.

Coincidence? You know I don’t believe in coincidences.

That’s what I’m talking about. That’s yin-yang balance.

Tonight while Kim’s upstairs watching TV, I’m down here listening to Pandora and writing. Sometimes I plug in the AirPods and watch live performances of some of my favorite groups on YouTube. Or spin vinyl on my 40 year-old Technics turntable.

Music is a huge part of my life. So is working on my property in the mountains and fixing things around the house. And running. And just sitting outside when I’m supposed to be working and watching the red tail hawks and California quail do what they do.

There was little time for any of that in the hustle and bustle of executive life. It was all work hard, play hard. Work by day, party by night.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I did all that. It was a blast. It made a difference.

But life is a process, not a means to an end. It’s what happens every moment between where you are and where you’ll be down the road. Cherish it. It’s all you’ve got between now and the end.

Don’t get me wrong. I still work hard and play hard. It’s just that now I work hard, play hard and live in the moment. The balance is extraordinary. And now that I’ve found it, I will never give it up until my time is up.

Image credit Thomas Hawk / Flickr