Billionaire "shark" exposes the illusion of life balance of the young generation

(Dan Tri) - While many young people pursue a balanced life, Mark Cuban believes that it is a luxury privilege for those who truly desire success because there are always people working tirelessly to surpass you.

The culture of working until exhaustion, often called by the beautiful name "hustle culture", has never cooled the veins of the top business world, and Mark Cuban is its most enthusiastic evangelist. For him, if you are truly serious about the word "success", the concept of "balance" is just an illusion.

The former "Shark Tank" judge has shared his blunt formula for winning: do more, do better than your competition. To do so, you must remember a cruel truth: "There is always someone out there working 24/7 with only one goal: to kick you out of the game."

The Ruler's Fear: Not Missing a Party, But Missing an Empire

People often refer to Gen Z as the "FOMO generation" (Fear of Missing Out) - the fear of missing out on fun and social media trends. But in the world of billion-dollar opportunity hunters, FOMO has a completely different definition, a fear on a much larger scale: the fear of missing out on a technology that can change the world, a game-changing investment deal, or a get-rich-quick trend that no one has seen yet.

The pressure to always be one step ahead, to see the future before it happens, is what drives Mark Cuban to believe that balance is impossible on the road to success.

“There is no such thing as balance,” Cuban asserted in Sports Illustrated’s The Playbook. “You can absolutely choose to have a balanced life with a 9-to-5 job,” he told Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons. “But if you aspire to dominate your field, mark my words: There will always be someone else working day and night to take you out of the game.”

This is not just empty talk. This philosophy is forged from his own sweat and tears. In the early years of starting his business, Cuban never knew a vacation, had to live with 5 other friends to put every penny into work.

For Mark Cuban, “work-life balance” is an impossible thing on the journey to success because every minute you rest is a minute someone is trying to replace you (Photo: Getty).

The Warren Buffett Paradox: A Model of Persistence, Not of Balance

Even with a net worth of billions of dollars and investments in hundreds of companies, Mark Cuban's fire never seems to burn out. At 66, he still works 8-10 hours a day reading and answering emails, and has just launched a $750 million private equity fund in the sports industry.

Cuban credits his incredible tenacity to Warren Buffett, who is only now beginning to consider handing over the reins at age 94. “I’m always curious what he’s going to do next,” Cuban said. “I’ve done a lot of things. I want to change the health care industry, but that’s not the end of it.”

But herein lies an interesting paradox: while Cuban sees Buffett's relentless diligence as a role model, the “Oracle of Omaha” himself is a master of balance.

He is famous for his light schedule: he avoids distracting technology, hardly attends meetings, gets enough sleep, and spends most of his time reading and thinking. “I have created an ideal environment for myself,” Buffett once said. “I just have to think, without being disturbed.”

Perhaps, Cuban did not learn from Buffett's method, but was inspired by his own endurance and never-ending fire of ambition.

Manifesto of the leaders: "Balance is just an illusion"

Mark Cuban is not alone in his opposition to "equalism."

Former US President Barack Obama, in a conversation, also admitted that to reach the top in any field, from sports, arts to business or politics, you are forced to go through periods of "severe imbalance". Those are the times when you have to put everything aside and focus on only one goal.

Eric Yuan, CEO of Zoom, a company that blurs the lines between work and home, also has a blunt, radical view: "There is no balance. Work is life, and life is work."

Although Yuan says work and life are one, he still makes room for one thing that cannot be compromised: family. "Whenever work and family conflict, you know what I choose? Family always comes first. That's it."

Ultimately, this never-ending debate may not be about who is right or wrong. It is about personal choice and, at times, cruel trade-offs. The road to glory requires sacrifices that not everyone is willing to pay.

The question for each person is not "how to balance?", but "Do you crave a harmonious life or a legacy of domination? And what price are you willing to pay for that choice?".

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/ty-phu-ca-map-boc-me-ao-tuong-can-bang-cuoc-song-cua-the-he-tre-20250619000211251.htm