A surprising outcome from the pandemic has been a reset for people around work.
Many of us now realize we want more leisure time, less time commuting, more flexibility. Which is why the number of people quitting their jobs has never been higher!
Can you relate?
We have become Human Doers
Let’s be honest, we have seriously been conditioned to work, to be active, to get stuff done, produce, stay busy.
And it isn’t only in the United States! The average Chinese person works 6 days a week from 9 am-9 pm!
But that clearly needs to change for our mental, physical and spiritual health.
Studies have shown that working longer hours or forfeiting vacation time can actually be detrimental. Productivity does not increase. In fact, sometimes it worsens.
So take all of your time off! You’ve earned it and deserve it.
And, when you are working, create healthy boundaries around your work day.
When do you officially stop and start? Do you want a job that offers flexibility in terms of days or times?
My neighbor’s commute was three hours a day until Covid. Last week she told me she'll stay remote and is thrilled! Just think, she has reclaimed three hours of her day!
What about you?
How To BE More
As you rethink your work life, take a moment to really ask yourself, how do you want your day – each day to be?
We spend so much time doing something – whether it’s working, driving, errands, chores… the list can be endless.
What about time to contemplate? To be?
In 1997, my friend and acupuncturist suggested I begin meditating. At the time, I was commuting two hours, had a full-time teaching job and a 3-year old. Of course, my reply to her was, “I don’t have time.”
Her response to me was, “Make time.”
We seem to be conditioned to get on the busy train, to keep going, doing, working… until we keel over.
But is that really the life you want?
What about time just to be, to create, to contemplate, to dream?
As you think about the life you truly desire, be sure to allocate time for you. After all, we are human beings, not human doers.
Don’t Live to Regret
In studies done of people at the end of life, not one has ever said they wished they worked more. What people most regretted was not spending more time with loved ones, not going for their dreams, or taking chances.
As Mary Oliver famously asks in her poem, Summer Day, “Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
This is your life – right here, right now.
How do you want it to be? What is it you really want to do?
Life is calling.
Are you listening?
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Photo by Lloyd Waters