The very phrase 'work-life balance' seems to be a contrivance. It is just plain misleading. Possibly even a scheme.
We go to work each day, and then what? We get to have our life? Is that it?
If life is alive, what is our presumption about work -- that it is not alive? If we lead our lives at home, whose life are we leading at work?
These are profound questions. How often are we at work thinking of things to be done at home, or at home preoccupied with work? The constant struggle to strike a balance between the two may be an impossible task. Perhaps, we want a different perspective.
What if we trusted ourselves enough to push back from our desks at 6pm, regardless of what papers are on it, and set out with a calm mind to that field where our son is playing ball? What if we knew in our hearts that bright and early the next morning, we would know exactly what to focus on at work, what priorities to set, what conversations to be in. Would that allow us to live, and be alive at work AND at home? What if we trusted ourselves?
The answer might lie is something called 'lived time.' Peter Koestenbaum defines lived time as our whole lives. Rather than separating work and life, Koestenbaum looks at creating our work as a meaningful part of our lives. We live from the inside out -- we connect our values and our courage to the work we do every day.
Then instead of checking our lives at the door on the way into our workplace, we actively engage who we are and what we believe in -- into our daily rounds at work.
Lived time. A very powerful concept. Being present to our lives, at home, at work, while working at home. Making conscious and meaningful choices as we live our lives one moment, one value, one courageous act at a time.
That's what I call bringing life to work!
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