A Lesson from Color Balls

The Symbol of a Well-Balanced Life: A Testament to Beauty and Purpose

Charlene Wang
2 min readAug 25, 2023

In an oceanside town, there lived an artist named Tina, who crafted unique sculptures using color balls. Each year, folks around the town would come to collect 10 balls from Tina.

When they received the balls, many often sought Tina’s guidance on what colors to use. “Choose any color. Paint some balls in hues of work and some for life’s colors,” Tina would advise. “But remember, you can always shift the balance.”

Most journeys started simple.

People picked up the balls and started painting. They began dabbing blues for career, leaving only faint hints of red and green for family and leisure.

Years passed, professional success achieved, but other colors grew faint and scarce. The vibrant reds, yellows, and greens of life were overshadowed by the dominant blues. The warmth of varied experiences was missing.

People returned to Tina, “Can we add more colors? Can we bring more life into this sculpture?”

With a smile, Tina replied, “Of course, but you must live those colors first.”

Priorities began to shift. New passions emerged, relationships deepened, and adventures were undertaken. As the work-life balance…

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Charlene Wang

Founder, Distillable; Ex-Google Product Manager, Health AI