Every Monday here at Judy Ma
rtin’s WorkLifeNation.com I feature a guest post from a thought leader in the Work-Life Merge. Today, news you can use on work-life balance comes from my friend and work-life colleague Chrysula Winegar, an expert at the newly launched The Daily Thrive.
It’s a community of learners focused on all of who you are. Six experts, six life-changing topics. I’ll be one of their guest speakers at the end of this year on the power of breath and meditation in all elements of your life. I’ve known Chrysula for several years now and truly respect her wisdom and guidance. I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on The Daily Thrive.
A Holistic Breakdown of the Work-Life Balance Conversation
The problem with the work life balance conversation is that it is typically expressed in simple terms. There’s work. And there’s life. And life is what? Isn’t life the whole darned thing? Work is an important piece, but it’s only one facet. When we examine all the elements of who we are, then we have a shot at this thing which our friend Judy Martin calls the work-life merge.
At The Daily Thrive we’re a bit obsessed with holistic living. Our mission? Finding a fit for your life that is not only doable, but sustainable. Here’s a few take aways from their team of six experts on the one life that you have control over – yours.
1. FOCUS: You know the research. You’ve heard the data. When we switch mindlessly (endlessly?) from one tab to another, run like hamsters on a wheel to chase the next “ping” in our in-box/cell phone/voicemail/text … we lose our focus and it takes several minutes at best to regroup on that important thing we were doing. Multi-tasking is fine for some things. But not for the heavy lifting of problem solving, creating something new and producing innovating thinking. Stay on the page. One page at a time.
2. PLANNING: You can try the latest and greatest productivity system out there. They all have their merits. But none of it means jack if you’re not choosing actions that line up with your principles. What is important to you? How do you plan? How does your plan show what is really important to you? Productivity tools that are anchored in the core of you – well that’s something magical. Planning is not a restraining order on your life. Planning is the key to unlock the infinite resource that is you and your dreams.
3. ESCAPE THE NOBLE POVERTY TRAP: Anti-materialism is not the same thing as earning money. It’s how you spend it that makes the difference. “When you charge and earn enough money, you can enjoy life, take care of your family, yourself, and give back to the world,” says Mikelann Valterra. Keeping your income low so you don’t feel too guilty does nothing to save the planet. Just look at what Bill Gates is doing. Play big. Give big.
4. YOU ARE NEGOTIATING YOUR LIFE: When we lose our image of smoky back rooms and boys in suits around the “negotiation” word and realize that we are actually negotiating every element of our life every day, a huge light bulb goes on. Uh-huh. We are negotiating everything. Relationships with our spouse, our children, our boss, our babysitter, our neighbors, our friends, our extended family, anyone we buy something from, anyone we deliver a product or service to, everything and everyone. Every day. Isn’t it time you got really good at it?
5. TECH: It has to work for you, not own you. We have literally become addicted to the thrill of the new message, the new comment on our status, the number of re-tweets. It’s a kind of crack. And our brains get just as fuzzy in the pursuit of the next hit. Whether it’s the 6,000 email messages sitting in your account, or the bleeding of social media into every corner of your day, being the boss of your tech tools gives you a powerful edge.
6. NURTURE BODY & SOUL: Fueling our minds and souls starts with fueling our bodies. We can be in denial all we like, but we are a symbiotic system and how we care for the physical spills over to the mental and emotional. The wellness and nutrition industries have become powerhouses of the next miracle cure. How about taking a step back to wholeness and stillness? Start by realizing you are a walking, breathing integrated system. The rest will come.
Follow Chrysula on Twitter: @Chrysula. And come join me as well @JudyMartin8.
Susan Steinbrecher, author of Kensho: A Modern Awakening
Every Monday here at Judy Martin’s WorkLifeNation.com I feature a guest post from a thought leader in the Work-Life Merge. Susan Steinbrecher is a corporate consultant and author of Kensho: A Modern Awakening, Instigating Change in an Era of Global Renewal. For the sake of transparency, Susan interviewed me for her book. I wanted to begin the year with her work, because it’s about taking charge of our lives and awakening to the larger picture of our individual role in raising consciousness in the world. It ends with an inspirational video to kick off 2012.
Awaken to the Possibilities…The times are strange and out of joint. It’s in the air. We can sense with disquiet that the balance of things is shifting. Even the weather seems disordered and in flux. The old order is faltering, and we look at the world around us with alarm and confusion. Many of us feel weary and overwhelmed, unsure of how to cope with everything that’s happening.
Often the path to positive change comes through a crisis. When our lives are spinning out of control, we finally pay attention. While no one wants to endure these hardships, if we use this time as one of learning and awaken to the clear realization of what’s truly important in life, maybe we can get back on track.
I believe that it’s critically important for us to change our perspective in order to see the world and ourselves in a new light. The practice of self-reflection allows us to gain insight into our own lives and enables us to lean into this time of upheaval. Some of us are even finding ways to embrace it. We’ve come to be grateful for the challenge, seeing it as an opportunity for growth, acquiring new skills and developing new talents. We’ve begun, in fact, to live life like it’s a momentous occasion of wonder.
Ask yourself this question: what do I believe? Have your beliefs allowed you to acquire a positive view of the world and your place in it? Or, are your beliefs rooted in negative thoughts that hold you back from real happiness? If the latter is true for you, you’re not alone.
Over a lifetime, we accumulate memories and experiences that can do one of two things. They can be a comfort to us and propel us on in this life with hope or they can hold us back and prevent us from achieving true contentment. It’s not easy to redefine what we believe. The very act brings into question all we think, feel, and are. But if we don’t pause and reflect on our beliefs at regular intervals throughout our lives, we can lose perspective—and peace of mind.
All it requires is a little time and the willingness to look at who we are, where we’ve come from, and how we wish to move forward. The secret is to believe in our potential, to be fearless about discarding the old, limiting beliefs that imprison our minds and to hang on to the beliefs that empower us and set us free.
When I work with clients, we uncover their particular belief systems. Our prevailing beliefs or what we refer to as “mental models” are there, waiting to have light shed upon them. Only by examining them, fully understanding their impact and becoming conscious of how our belief systems affect our behavior, do we have any real chance to change them. And yes, we can change them. Once we come to understand the impact of limiting beliefs, it is easier to change them – and be free to walk with buoyant steps as we proceed on our life’s journey.
Jennifer Sertl
The Climb
As you close the door to 2011 and open the door of 2012, I am hoping to enhance how you value both the tangible and intangible aspects of your life.
In the midst of so much complexity and the pace of information flow through social media, it is easy to get overwhelmed. I think Dante articulates what many of us are feeling: In the middle of the road of my life, I awoke in a dark wood, Where the true way was wholly lost.
There is a lovely talk given by David Whyte, a poet, author and organizational visionary, who has been a great inspiration to me.
The message here is simple, not easy. When you are lost ~ Stand Still. The idea here is that instead of you finding clarity, clarity will find you.
Right Here, Right Now
There is no way to get past the level of introspection this phase of our lives is requiring. Here is another means that I hope contributes to your sense of grounding in the mist of all this chaos. Many of us are trained to have goals, and be achievers. Often in pursuit ~ we minimize what we have truly accomplished and the view from “right here, right now.”
Check out Jennifer’s recent article on Transleadership at ElephantJournal.com
Jennifer Sertl is a thought leader in the emerging field of corporate consciousness – the convergence of Neuroscience and Existential Philosophy fostering inspiration and subsequently creating strategic advantage and enhancing value. Her book, Strategy, Leadership and the Soul is available on Amazon.com. Jennifer is currently Advisor, Strategic Development for the Center for Policy and Emerging Technologies (C-PET). She holds dual majors in English and philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder and is a wife and mother of three children.
Glad you stopped by, every Monday I’m featuring a guest post from an expert on the work-life merge. Today we hear from Kathy Caprino MA – Women’s Career and Executive Coach, Speaker and Author of Breakdown, Breakthrough.
Kathy Caprino
Women are more stressed and strained than ever, as these economic times have hit families, workplaces and corporate America so very hard. If women’s plates were full before, now they’re piled sky-high, ready to crash to the ground.
Working with hundreds of professional women nationwide, I know that to achieve greater work-life balance or integration, we must transform on both the individual and organizational levels. Individually, women need to take greater responsibility to reclaim the direction of their lives.
Judy’s CD offers three breathing exercises to help consume the chaos of daily living, and use it as fuel for transformation in life and at work. The meditations are complimentary to any belief system. As conscious human beings we generally rise to the occasion in a time of chaos. Sometimes we just need a little nudge to remember the brilliance of who we are, and the strength and fortitude that we possess.