I talk often about balance and the importance of having balance in your life. Sometimes this gives the impression of striving towards mediocrity by removing extremes.

That’s not the case. The idea is living with both extremes and mediocrity.

The problem is that too many people live primarily in one or the other. For example, those who party all the time, never slowing down or taking a break. Or the people who are hyper-focused A-types who, while incredibly successful, never take time to relax and enjoy their vast sums of wealth.

And while there are countless examples of these lifestyles, the opposite is a life void of extremes.

There is a staggering portion of the population who do nothing. They eat, sleep and work. They hardly socialize, never travel, and most concerning of all is that they’re rarely open to trying new things.

A lot of these people, on both sides, are often perfectly content with their lives, and there is nothing inherently wrong with either lifestyle. But finding even a little balance to counter their normal would benefit both parties.

Breaking a routine of excess or workaholism will do wonders for the mind and body. The serial entrepreneur doesn’t need to walk away from their company for a life as a monk to see these benefits. A few weeks off throughout the year could easily be enough.

The same effects would arise from adding a bit of novelty to an otherwise average life. This doesn’t mean taking up skydiving or spending a year backpacking South America. If you find yourself in the camp of mediocrity, take a couple of days off and go on a road trip to somewhere you’ve never visited.

The simple act of breaking routine — in whatever form that takes — is all you need to drastically improve your life.

This is balance.