In our 24/7 world, which is struggling for a collective social conscience, I believe that the value of the HUMAN experience as we strive for a better WORK LIFE experience, must be acknowledged in the workplace and in business if we are to evolve as a society. Profit too frequently trumps the people component in the business cycle.
Sarah McLachlan cut to the chase in an interview with Marsha Lederman of The Globe and Mail in her article, I’m Not the Girl I Was. The Grammy award-winner is releasing her new album on Tuesday, Laws of Illusion.
Christine’s blog, A Different Kind of Work by new media consultant Michael Martine (@remarkablogger) just a few months ago and was thrilled to find a kindred spirit. She reminded me why I launched my own blog nearly three years ago, Judy Martin’s WorkLifeNation.com:
In an article in 2007 in Fast Company Magazine, marketing guru Tom Peters asked, “What’s the future of you?” He is a visionary who was right on target for the progressive career of today which screams for personal branding. Here’s an excerpt:
A fractured view of our own character or baggage often appears when we suddenly find ourselves in a state of crisis or chaos, especially in a workplace environment. Taken with our own perspective, the blame game is an easy road to take.
Since 9/11 many of us, (including myself) came face to face in a new and deeper way with our own mortality, our fate, and our purpose. WorkLife Balance suddenly made an appearance and we learned that the human capital so taken for granted, are really disguised human beings – with a desire to have a more purposeful and meaningful worklife in a 24/7 world.
The greatest revelation is that while most chaos appears to be outside of ourselves, it’s really in the personal response to such events – which can bring about the most peace. Using chaos as fuel for personal transformation, we create a well of stillness to call upon when in crisis. So here is my list of 100 Ways to Personally Conquer Chaos:
A quick examination of my upbringing doesn’t exactly put me in the business category of entrepreneurship. My childhood was sans business acumen. My mom was an opera singer turned psychotherapist and my dad – a former high school administrator – had a Ph.D. from Columbia in Education.
Raising Judy and my sis, Mary of AnimalPerson.net, was a mishmash of opera, 60 Minutes, and cartoons. Not necessarily in that order. My sister and I learned of the arts, music and the power of the written word as our home was lined with hundreds of books.
As for my adult life, I am a step-mom without the benefit of the typical parenting process, but a quick read of Julie Lenzer Kirk’s, The ParentPreneur Edge, never the less offers a fun and unusually humorous alternative to the typical business book.
Chesnuts, chai, and chocolate chip cookies. Together they made for the perfect reception upon walking into a colleagues kitchen. My friend is actually my editor and happens to be a fabulous gourmet chef which put me in the position of “guest,” as opposed to host, when we decided to get together for lunch and do a bit of business. We opted for her home instead of the workplace.
It’s the holidays, so there’s bound to be lots of goodies floating around the office, or newsroom in my case. But how often do we take the time to sit down for a meal with those we work with. And not necessarily to do business, instead to learn a bit more about the people you daily interact with.
"It’s the dose that makes the poison," said Timothy Ferriss in Sunday’s New York Times article Too Much Information? Ignore it, about the pros and cons of e-mail and black berry use. The image of bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, donned a half-page on the front cover of the SundayStyles section (not an easy task)…
Tell the truth, at least to yourself. You’ve got at least one pair of old shoes barely holding on lingering on the rack near your back door porch, in your closet, or hiding inconspicuously with maybe just a toe or heal poking through that bag of clothing meant for Good Will. You want to get…
Ed Mills from Evolving times started a meme that asks, what would you do with an extra 36 hours each week? Pricilla Palmer from Personal Development tagged me on this and I’ve given it a lot of thought. Especially in the wake of all the writing I’ve done recently on conquering sensory overload in a 24/7 world.
For me, it’s less about a list than a way of being. I would take 24-hours of it and use it for complete silence. No news, no music, no cell phone, no Black Berry. It’s from that space of peace that I truly believe we can all attain limitless knowledge and peace. But it’s not something that comes overnight. We need lots of 24-hour periods to cultivate that stillness and creatively percolate. And the intention set during such a period is a crucial part of the process.
When you’re that still for a long period of time it feels as if there is no time. It’s stretched to another level of consciousness and becomes limitless. Have you ever noticed that time seems to fly when you’re at an exciting movie, taking a long day at the beach, or spending time with good friends?
