I gazed from afar the goings-on in the markets last week. A much needed break from the chaos on the street and the sub-prime meltdown was called for as I figure it’s going to be an active fourth quarter with just about anything coming down the pike.
Other than a sneak peak at CNBC at a rest stop and grabbing the Wall Street Journal which I managed to mostly stare at, I was not open for business. Instead I headed north of the city to Vermont for some peace of mind and a cleanse. This was my way of winding down the summer. I decided to stop everything. We don’t stop in our 24/7 marketplace. I think it’s because we fear we will miss out on something, fall behind, not get ahead of the curve, not get the gig, not being accepted by our peers who are doing the 24/7 thing…etc. But it’s in that stopping and cultivating serenity even for a short while, that miraculous things can happen.
I believe that a creative impulse arises as we take notice of our own desire for a more meaningful integrated worklife experience. But that concept needs to be embraced in our society and our workplace in order to develop. As we support each other in our quest for worklife integration or balance if you choose, our worklife paradigm will shift as a collective. Take the words of Rick Jarow, Ph.D, from his book Creating the Work You Love:
“Perhaps in the near future, like-minded groups will develop where people can support one another’s efforts to manifest the work they love. This is helpful, not as a crutch for emotional weakness, but as a sounding board and support system for those daring enough to venture forth into the marketplace with a new idea, and for reinforcing the reality of abundance as opposed to the fear of scarcity.” Rick Jarow, Ph.D.
Imagine abundance. Taste it. What does it look like, feel like, sound like? What does abundance mean to you? To me, it’s the synergy of success and serenity. My definition is personal and requires a daily routine of awareness in the workplace and while doing business. It also requires me to be aware not only of my behavior, but those around me and my reaction to it.
Getting back to this idea of abundance, it’s difficult for the mind to grasp that abundance can be birthed from stillness in a working environment. Last week, as mentioned, I endeavored to explore.
Being the maverick that I am, I decided to just stop and listen; not for just a moment or two, but for a week which is very unusual for me. I headed to north to do some contemplating and cleansing.
Vermont offered roads lined with farmland, eco-green everything, and a guaranteed friendly smile at most stops along the way. It’s a simple visual experienced along single carriage roads. The thoughts – not so simple. Deep rooted patterns, thoughts of what is, what was and what could be along the way set the stage for a personal encounter with the recesses of my mind chatter.
Winding down the summer, heading into the release of autumn, I decided to do a cleanse. I chose the ancient eastern method of Panchakarma (PK), a detoxifying and cleansing program based on ancient purification and rejuvenation techniques from India. Check out The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont. According to Ayurveda, the mind and body have the intelligence to heal themselves, so I dived into an intense few days of cleansing.
I won’t get into the details of my experience, but I will share this; “stopping” lead to an incredible purge of old ways of doing things, deep contemplation about the way I want to structure my worklife, and oddly enough, a sudden rise in business during what is typically the slowest time of the year.
I just watched and listened to the messages that suddenly appeared on my voice mail and Black Berry, but I didn’t respond. Speaking engagements came overnight, new projects and work dates were proposed, and some new radio work appeared. I just listened, trusted in my own intuition that stopping was an okay thing to do – and continued to cleanse and contemplate. Somehow, in the daze of letting go, I became less attached to outcome. While a surge of excitement is building about what’s to come, I suddenly feel it can all wait until tomorrow without vanishing.
