I’m particularly excited about our Summer of Well-Being guest blogger this week, because she happens to be my Mom! That’s right, folks, the apple does not fall far from the tree! Ellie Kane is an artist, healer, and certified coach. I cannot express how powerful her teachings, healing and love have supported me along my journey, and I know you’ll appreciate what she has to share! Providing her this forum is one of the simple ways that I can say, “Thanks, Mom” for being such an important part of my life, and for helping so many others!! You are AWESOME! Make sure to check out Ellie’s blog on Thursday to learn how you can heal with Art!
What does living “well” at work mean to you? If you are like most Americans, you’re spending the majority of your waking hours either working, or thinking about your work! Work can be both a blessing and an energy vampire, depending upon how you “work” it.
Are you “working” work, or is work “working” you?
Because we are at work so much, it can’t NOT affect our well-being, right? But, does it affect us negatively, or positively? Although there are many things outside of our control when at work, like the behaviors and actions of others, tasks we are mandated to do, or whether we have access to clean air or natural lighting, we do have the power to make REALLY GREAT choices for ourselves, helping to make work THE VERY BEST place to make significant strides toward our wellness.
If you’re a fan of the Pareto Principle, you’ll understand the power behind this strategy. The principle states that 80% of the output is achieved with 20% of the input. Since we spend approximately 80% of our waking hours engaged in work (give or take), why not use 20% of our work day to achieve 80% of our well-being goals? You with me?
Let’s seek out a few holistic strategies to begin doing this! Here are 5 ideas you can try:
1. Seek the Truth.
Much of our stress at work can stem from focusing on what “may be true” vs. “what is true.” A simple example could be having a quick conversation with your immediate supervisor and assuming that he is not pleased with the news you are sharing with him because his arms are crossed and his brows are furrowed. Assumptions like this one can nag at us mentally and emotionally all day long, sucking away our creative, healthy energy. Why not just ask him, “I am sensing that you are not happy in this moment. Does this have to do with my work, or with the information I’m sharing with you?” Many times, individuals don’t even realize the signals they are giving. Knowing this can also provide them with a moment of awareness that can benefit them tremendously. What at work might you be assuming that is sucking up your energy?
2. Seek Feedback.
Humans are emotional beings, and our emotions directly affect what we choose to believe about ourselves, and the actions we take to get to where we want to go. As emotional beings, we want to know how we are doing, that we are on the right track, and that we are appreciated and doing a great job. Even if you are the leader within your organization, you need this too! Take time to ask others how you are doing. Get the validation that you need and deserve, and don’t judge any constructive criticism that can help you continue to develop and grow as a professional/leader. Knowing how we are doing and that we are appreciated can make our days at work so much more enjoyable and can even ignite our inner fire to achieve greater results at work. Who’s feedback are you desiring?
3. Seek our Authenticity.
An important component to our wellness is loving and sharing who we are naturally and at our best. In many work environments we feel as though we cannot show ourselves in order to move up the ladder, or sometimes, just keep our jobs! Over time this can cause sadness, de-motivation, and an overall disconnect with the individuals we work with, and ultimately, with our purpose and ability to grow in our career. We can seek our authenticity in comfortable steps by sharing our ideas, speaking up when we normally would not, and developing a more personal relationship with a co-worker. According to Gallup, having at least one good friend at work can dramatically improve our well-being and our engagement at work. How can YOU better show up at work?
4. Seek Nature.
If you happen to be cooped up all day long in a “concrete jungle,” do yourself a favor and get up and outside at least once per day for a minimum of 15 minutes, but if you can do more, do it! You can accomplish so much within one hour that can positively affect your well-being, like breathing in some fresh air, getting your daily dose of Vitamin D by sitting in the sun, walking and getting your metabolism going, sitting under a tree and doing something for yourself, etc. Even 15 minutes of disconnecting from work and connecting with nature can reinvigorate you. You can even connect with nature by eating a nice salad (or drinking your salad!) during this nature break. What aspect of nature is screaming for your attention during work hours?
5. Seek Silence.
What? Yes, that’s right. Whether you’re in meetings all day, or chatting around the water-cooler (not a great use of your time), creating time for YOU to brainstorm, move your ideas or work forward in a focused way, or take 5-10 minutes to breathe or stretch at your desk, you will be doing your mind, body and soul some good! It may be harder for some of us to accomplish these quiet, focused tasks at home, especially if we have to cook, do homework, clean, organize for the next day, etc. So why not find the time to work on your activities during your work hours? How can 10 minutes of silence during work skyrocket your productivity or decrease your stress?
The ideas I’ve shared above relate to some key dimensions of well-being, including Thinking, Feeling, Breathing, Communicating, Sensing, Eating, Moving, and Self-Responsibility. The cool thing is that when you work on just one dimension, you truly are working on all of them! They are fully integrated and cannot function without each other.
Even though these ideas are quite simple, they are not always easy! Try just one and see how it may help shift how you approach work and wellness, and how other areas of your well-being may be affected as well.
Don’t let work “work” you! Be intentional about how you approach your work hours and take advantage of that time to feel great!
It’s Your Life. Lead it Well.
Monique
Straying from our Truth
March 6, 2011
Today is my Birthday. And what better a way to celebrate my Birthday then to give birth to something new; something that is a piece of me…a piece of my truth. So here you have it, a new beautiful ranting, a new blog.
On days like today I think back to my childhood and I really try to remember who I was and what invigorated me; made me lose time. For it is my belief that we are living authentically during those moments of simple pleasures, joy and timelessness. Whatever it is we are doing in those moments we can do forever! Ahh…remember those days? Yes, I know who I was, and I make sure to tap into that energy now as a Bigger Child. That energy is still within me; my core self, and I owe it to my child self to stay true to who I’ve always been.
I talk a lot. I talk a lot to lots of people, especially high-achieving women. In trying to achieve so much, many times we lose sight of our truth. It becomes blurry, fuzzy, and seems so far away. We stray. As high achievers we get a HIGH by multi-tasking; getting a lot of things done at the same time, or doing too much to please too many. But do we really get a lot done? Are we pleasing ourselves? How much joy or effectiveness am I getting out of one specific task or activity if I have to drop it to begin another, and another, and another? As a high achiever, what exactly am I achieving?
So today– my day– I focus on the intention and action of living my truth and not straying from it, which as we all know is so easy to do.
I read this today and it cemented the concept for me. Perhaps it will for you too:
“The moment we stray from where we are, we create a tension between two places– where we are and where we are thinking of being. It is this tension that blocks us from the sensation of being fully alive, because being split in our attention prevents us from being authentic– even though managing many tasks at once is considered intelligent. That we stray from the moment is not surprising. The more crucial thing is that we return.“
Yesterday, I received so much joy from sitting silently and watching my daughter, age 6, revel in her body, her creativity, her enthusiasm in her new dance class. I closed my eyes and went way back in time and saw myself dancing and singing uninhibited in front of no one, or anyone, who cared to watch. I could care less of anyone’s judgement or lack of it. All I cared about in that moment and for hours on end was the feeling I felt, and the dream in my heart. If anyone wanted to come along for the ride, all the better. It was all about the process, not the outcome; the performance, not the feedback. I LOVE this part of MY TRUTH!
What part of YOUR TRUTH do you revel in?
I also found much joy and laughter in reading an article in O about a busy working mother who had visions of her complicated, messy life turning around completely; of becoming someone other that who she was.
She shares:
“I am not and was never going to be the relaxed, organized, manicured career mom, any more than I was going to be the shiny, elusive cheerleader or the diligent Gap employee or the virginal good girl or the wise young lady who dates only responsible, emotionally available guys. I am a disorganized, melancholy second-guesser who rhapsodizes a little too loudly over the pleasures of a cold beer at the end of a long day.”
And, although she managed to have a few really amazing chaos-free days, she embraces her authenticity by proclaiming:
“This is true…I love this f_ _ _ing clown show of mine! Sometimes, even though my world is in chaos, I see myself braiding my daughter’s hair, drinking my tea, blending up a fruit smoothie and singing and dancing crazily to distract the baby from the blender’s scary, grinding sound, and I think…That woman is weird, but she does seem to be enjoying herself.”
I love that. I love that although her world-ly self tells her how she should be (which is not authentic to her), she honors what her spirit self tells her she is, and what feels right and real.
Today I celebrate me. The child me, and the somewhat developed bigger child me, who always wants to give birth to projections of myself and juicy bits of what I’ve always offered to this world.
Want a piece of me? Well, you have no choice. You’re gonna get it!
Cheers to me, to you, and to living our truth!
Monique
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Who am I?
November 3, 2010
Ever feel like others don’t really see who you are? Ever feel like you don’t know yourself either? How strongly would you agree with the belief that you must “know thyself” in order to lead others? Would you agree that we must lead ourselves really well in order to lead others?
This week I have the pleasure of coaching women executives at our Women on the Move program. It’s a pleasure because I am surrounded by powerful female energy; transformative, healing energy. At this retreat we retreat within. We learn to get to know ourselves deeply and understand how appreciating and sharing our authentic selves with all those around us helps us to launch a transformation like no other.
So as women, in particular, where do we begin? For me it begins with awareness and trust…of the self.
It’s no coincidence that we refer to earth as “Mother Earth,” because it is a natural trait of women to nurture, protect, put others first, and many times, say “yes,yes, yes” to anything that will create life, despite exhaustion. It is in our nature to give birth!! In fact, the Tao Te Ching refers to this special female energy of creation in such a beautiful way:
“The spirit that never dies is called the mysterious feminine. Although she becomes the whole universe, her immaculate purity is never lost. Although she assumes countless forms, her true identity remains intact. The gateway to the mysterious female is called the root of creation. Listen to her voice, hear it echo through creation. Without fail, she reveals her presence. Without fail, she reveals her presence. Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection. Although it is invisible, it endures; it will never end.”
Wow. That’s powerful!
If you are eager for a transformation; if you are eager to share with the world your true nature; if you are eager to lead and inspire others to reach their authenticity and greatness….begin with you!
Ask yourself:
-What is the spirit within me that never dies?
-What about me and only me is pure and never lost?
-What do I LOVE to create?
-What would my voice say if I didn’t care about what others would think and say about me?
-What about me can others count on without fail?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, take time away from the rat race, from spinning your wheels and operating from a place far away from your authentic self. Pause to understand that things don’t have to remain the same; that we don’t have to operate on automatic or on auto-pilot. In fact, we can come to know the power of operating on purpose, driving forward from our authentic self.
Imagine what this small step would do for you; for your life. Imagine how you would inspire others to do the same merely by modeling this powerful behavior.
Look in that mirror today. Instead of asking “Who am I?”, take the time to get familiar with the you Mother Earth created; with the you others are craving to experience.
Namaste,
Monique