I flew into Chicago yesterday on a crack of dawn flight from New York. With only 3 hours of sleep, as I had anchored the 10 pm show @News12 Long Island, I landed at O’Hare exhausted – but with more enthusiasm than I’ve had in years. And after reading Alexandra Levit’s Water Cooler Wisdom blog, it’s clear why I’m a bundle of joy and energy.
#SOBCON 2010
I’m in Chi-Town to participate in the #SOBCON social media intensive, “a think tank where the virtual meets concrete” and I see it as the harbinger of things to come, breathing new life into my work life experience. It’s an effort toward expanding my skills as a blogger and journalist while keeping my foot in the world of news. In her blog post, Alexandra shares thoughts on the consequences and benefits of how we spend our intellectual energy:
“Did you know that people get physically tired because of emotional factors such as boredom, frustration, and anxiety? True intellectual stimulation, on the other hand, doesn’t exhaust us at all. …I could write nonstop for 8 hours and then run a 5K immediately afterwards, yet after spending a few hours at my corporate job I could barely drag myself to the train station….
In today’s business world, compelling work is sometimes in short supply… If your work is getting you down, look for ways to expand your skills and responsibilities and communicate actively with your managers about how and where you can lend your expertise.”
Free Agents in the same boat
This same guidance goes for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent contractors. While such “free agents” are often doing what they prefer in their careers, the mundane chores of “doing business” generally set in. What does it take to go to the next level in business, your career, or job? Alexandra makes some great points in her post which include volunteering, taking a personal development or leadership course, contributing a new process to your company toward more efficiency and finally – changing your attitude toward your job. Approaching your job with the enthusiasm of your first day at a new job.
Igniting joy and injecting serenity into your working experience
The last one got me going. Not just because of shining a fresh new set of eyes on ones career, but because of the “joy” factor. Is there a sense of joy in your work that you have overlooked? Are there certain responsibilities at your job or in your career that you take for granted? You might be skilled at something that gives you a sense of purpose and passion at work that to others, is not enthralling. Do you like to write, create graphics, or enjoy working with customers. Perhaps there are colleagues that make the daily grind a little better. Maybe it’s your commute or the freedom to have more work life flexibility. How can we look at our work through a different lens, and inject some “serenity” into our work life merge? Sometimes we walk past happiness without noticing it. One of my favorite poems from Rumi comes to mind:
The Guest House:
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. ~ Rumi ~
In a our new competitive 24/7 economy, are you overlooking the good in the shadow of the mundane or chaos? Please share!
