Welcome to the Ten Balloons
These reflections invite you to explore the areas of life that lift, steady, and sometimes challenge us—the relationships, passions, and practices that shape who we are and who we’re becoming. Each essay offers a moment of perspective, helping you recognize your own balloons, notice which ones need care, and rediscover the balance that makes life both grounded and full of possibility.
The Balloons
This opening essay introduces the metaphor of ten life “balloons,” inviting readers to recognize imbalances among the key areas of their lives and begin crafting simple, evolving mission statements that reflect who they want to become.
The Mental Balloon – This essay invites readers to begin their journey by nurturing the mind—cultivating reflection, clarity, and faith as the foundation for intentional living and lasting growth.
The Career Balloon – This essay explores how our work can become more than a job—it can be a calling shaped by purpose, reflection, and alignment with who we are and who we’re becoming.
The Adventure Balloon – This essay celebrates curiosity and courage as the heart of true adventure—not about risk or travel, but about seeing the world with wonder, listening deeply, and following the quiet call of the unknown toward transformation.
The Education Balloon – This essay reminds us that true learning isn’t measured by grades or degrees, but by curiosity, humility, and the lifelong commitment to grow through every moment, mentor, and mistake along the way.
The Financial Balloon – This essay reminds us that money, while deeply personal and often uncomfortable to discuss, is ultimately a reflection of our values—not our worth—and that true financial peace comes from aligning how we earn, spend, and give with the season of life we’re in and the purpose we’re called to live.
The Hobby Balloon – This essay celebrates the joy and purpose found in play, reminding us that hobbies aren’t distractions from real life but sacred spaces where curiosity, connection, and creativity breathe life into all our other balloons.
The Friend Balloon – This essay reminds us that friendship, at its best, is less about being known by many and more about being present for a few—that genuine connection begins not with being interesting, but with being interested.
The Family Balloon – This essay honors the beauty and heartbreak of family—the balloon that teaches us love, loss, and letting go—reminding us that our role isn’t to control those we love, but to be present, grounded, and gracious as they chart their own paths.
Primary Relationship — The Primary Relationship balloon invites us to honor trust, vulnerability, and connection as essential anchors in life—reminding us that even when one bond deflates, the other balloons can lift us toward healing, growth, and love renewed.
Physical Balloon — The Physical Balloon reminds us that health is not about perfection or performance, but about presence—the daily practice of showing up for our bodies, redefining our mission after every setback, and finding joy in beginning again.