Finding Balance

I have recently had a conversation with a friend about the need to find balance in life. An elusive goal that has ever been my quest to obtain. Here are some quick thoughts. I wrote:

Addictions. Get over one thing only to find yourself consumed by something else, be it music, computers, cars, whatever. Spending too much time thinking or doing one thing (even if that one thing is generally positive in nature) can still be detrimental to ones soul & body. Addiction and obsession are virtually [synonymous] in essence it would seem....

I have to quit staying up until all hours of the night working on music and/or computers. It's not healthy.

AD replied:

I think the trick is to find something to replace the addiction, however, ensure that it is in moderation and balanced with the rest of life. Possibly have 2 - 3 things that are safe to do instead of.

I responded:

I think that is right. I have been spending way too much time experimenting with various computer projects, but I will say this: it's better I do that then it is for me to sit in front of the TV letting my brain turn to mush. Balance is the key, finding the key is the real trick isn't it? [Emphasis added]

I've always been a work-a-holic and that has had negative impacts on me personally in all areas of life. Obsession with hobbies can be just as bad. Being able to balance all the priorities in life would be helpful to me--and a few others too, I'll wager.

For instance, last night I installed Damn Small Linux 1.4 on my HDD to remaster it with my own customizations but when I booted to that partition the wireless keyboard wouldn't work, so I...