"I think it's important to have a balance in life. To work hard, but also to take time to enjoy the things you love"

Mia Maestro points to a timeless tension: ambition versus presence. Modern culture often equates worth with output, urging relentless hustle, yet the human spirit needs restoration and delight. Balance is not a rigid 50–50 split; it is a living rhythm, an ongoing calibration between exertion and renewal. Some seasons demand focused effort; others invite slowness so curiosity, relationships, and health can replenish the well that labor draws from.

Working hard gains depth when tethered to meaning. Effort without joy curdles into burnout; joy without effort can drift into aimlessness. Bringing them together produces sustainable excellence. Pleasure is not a guilty afterthought but a source of resilience, time with loved ones, art, nature, and play refuel attention, imagination, and courage. The things you love are not distractions from your life; they are the reasons your work matters.

Practically, balance looks like boundaries and rituals: defined work windows; true off-hours; a weekly sabbath; tech-free dinners; walks that are not steps toward a goal but invitations to notice; hobbies pursued for their own sake; sleep honored as strategy. It looks like saying yes to projects that align with values and no to busywork that flatters the ego while draining the soul. It means designing micro-moments of enjoyment inside demanding days, a song between meetings, a stretch at the window, a quiet coffee, so that recovery is woven into the fabric of effort.

Balance also respects change: what nourished you last year may shift, so periodic self-checks keep priorities honest. Gratitude practices can spotlight joys worth protecting. The measure of a good life expands beyond titles and timelines to include laughter, wonder, and rest. Success becomes a both-and: the pride of completion and the warmth of connection. Like music, achievement needs silence between notes. By tending to both striving and savoring, we craft lives that are not only productive, but deeply felt, and we make our best work possible.