BETWEEN LIFE AND WORK
Tope Popoola CLC, CMT, FIMC, CMC
One of Africa's leading voices in Human Capital & Business Development. PDIA FIELD OF PRACTICE, Harvard Kennedy School.
Attempting to find the intersection between life and work is to assume that work and life are two different, stand-alone entities. This mindset is where the frustration of many people comes from. You were created for productivity. Work is an integral part of the human DNA, and finds expression when done with meaning. Anyone who has found and embraced the WHY of his life will tell you that working in your vocation is almost like being on a vacation. Retiring from a job is not the same as retiring from work. Have you noticed that those who retire and do nothing thereafter have a tendency to age and vegetate faster?
Frustration, anger, disappointment, lack of fulfilment, all come from working on "just another job" where you cannot find the best of yourself manifesting in what you do. Corporate trainings emphasize six core areas of Work Life balance viz;
Unfortunately, because it is not "woke" to talk about in corporate circles, the most vital aspect is usually left out, and that is our FAITH. Our faith speaks of our deepest convictions. Whatever we claim to believe in is at the CORE of our perspectives, paradigms and postulations about our life essence. This in turn, shapes our FUNCTION and affects all the other departments highlighted above. How we work, how we relate, how much we make or think we can make, how health-conscious we are, our investment on personal growth, what we do for leisure, all flow from our perspective and convictions about LIFE. Our values and convictions are rooted in our FAITH, even when we try to deny it. Your conduct always reflects your value system. Your value system reflects your belief-system. QED!
Work is simply a platform of expression of WHO WE ARE, not what we do. It has nothing to do with salary, work environment, title, and the many other things we think it is. An employer can spend millions of dollars on Performance Improvement trainings and the recipients of that training can still perform abysmally. It's not rocket science but the corporate world keeps missing the lesson while doing the same things they have always done (yeah, don't remind me of the meaning of insanity)!
Performance only improves when people improve. We all bring WHO WE ARE to the office. Whatever you see an employee demonstrate on a job, that is who he is. If you think he is a misfit in that position, help him to find out where he is best suited in your organization and simply deploy him accordingly and you will find that you hired a star performer! If you keep him in role that does not express HIM, get ready for double frustration - you and him!
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Our work is our life and our life is our work. Even if you have not found the job that you love yet, learn to love the job you have found and bring the best of you to it while you look out for what you really love, not for salary, recognition or any other thing (as important as those may be) but because it enables you to contribute value to the human enterprise. Why? Life is not an aspect of your work. Work is an aspect of your life. It is the opportunity that God gives you to express the best of your IDENTITY, PURPOSE and POTENTIAL. Work, properly done, expresses POWER! Diligence is therefore, enlightened self-interest! Your person may not reflect your work, but your work should definitely reflect your PERSON.
When you can make that perspective shift, you will discover that your attitude to work changes. Your work no longer defines you. You define your work as you define every other aspect of your life. Work-life balance takes on a different meaning. Rather than living your life in frustrating compartments, simply live out your values. Every other thing will fall into place.
When you wake up to go to work tomorrow, do so with joy and a sense of power that makes you bring your 'A' game to the office.
Right there is the balance you seek - and need!
Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!