Every day, in one way or another, we take a leap. "Sure, I'll take on that new project!" we chirp to bosses and PTA chairwomen and neighborhood council members, momentarily swept up by excitement (or guilt), forgetting the 900 other things we've also committed to. Or else we impulsively book a getaway somewhere we've never been, or quit a loathed job in the midst of a recession, or eschew the day's to-do-list to take the kids to the beach on a weirdly warm day. Life-changing or little, a leap is a leap. Personally, I'm forever over-committing myself and then just holding my breath, closing my eyes, and hoping I can fake-it-until-I-make-it (which seems to be my motto in life).

So how do you maintain balance once you've signed on to something that's a little bit crazy? I suggest that if you're going to leap -- and by all means, leap, and leap high! -- you leap like a lizard. Observe:

Agama lizards leaping from Science News on Vimeo.

According to Science News, "University of California, Berkeley scientists filmed lizards leaping onto rough and slippery surfaces and assessed the launchings with some clever math. The team then built a lizard-sized robot with a movable tail and, like the lizard, the robot used the same tail maneuvers to correct the angle of its body after launching so it would land safely." The lizard doesn't just splat against the wall, and it can't exactly quit leaping once it's begun. And so, like all of us, it uses what it can in order to balance. What would it take for you to correct your angle once you've launched towards something impossible, potentially treacherous? A call to your mother? Asking someone for help? A rest on a warm rock?

I think I'll add it to my list of life mottos: "Angle the tail."

Read More:
Balancing Work and Family
Are you balanced? The quiz.