Balance Yourself, Not Work and Life

Balance Yourself, Not Work and Life

I love my work. I mean I really LOVE my work. Do you? Are you creative and compelled to excel? Do you find happiness in relationships with your work friends and colleagues?

Do you like being part of something bigger than yourself? 
Me too. Work is fun and  meaningful and I am completely dedicated to writing, leading my team and advising leaders whom I respect. And then there's life -- so much more important than work. It's true, right? Work doesn't even run a close second to the beautiful little children in your life, or even the teenagers who get on your last nerve. Work pales in comparison to your love for your partner or relationships with family and friends. I even include my dogs and cats in the more important-than-work list. I love Tula, Keiki, Pika, Tiko and Tiger (also known as Mikey ). And then there's spirituality , learning, dedication to making our world a better place -- all these make life worth living.

Some of us are lucky -- we love our work and we have full, rewarding lives. It's a wonderful thing. But we are busy. No breaks, no boundaries -- texts from kids, tweets pouring in, emails all night... It never stops. Most of us have no idea how to manage it all.

There is no such thing as work-life balance. But we keep trying to live up to that impossible standard until finally we
lose it. Or I should say , we lose ourselves.
We lose ourselves to the "sacrifice syndrome" -- a condition that is more than burnout. It's a way of life. May be it's
familiar: You  have been behaving in ways that don't fit with who you are. You snap at loved ones, make bad decisions, rarely smile, miss out on life. Or you move at the speed of light like super-man-woman-mom-dad. May be you take pride in your super-humanness, but deep down you know you are in trouble. You self-medicate: two 1 6-ounce cups of coffee? 
Really ? 
How many martinis or glasses of wine? Stress-eating? You are completely worn out, you feel trapped and you see no way out.

The sacrifice syndrome doesn't strike out of the blue. It starts with an insidious form of chronic, intense stress that comes along with lots of responsibilities. We call it "power stress." Leaders are especially susceptible because of the 24-7 nature of our jobs, too many toxic work environments, unhealthy competition and out-of-control achievement drives. This kind of stress is brutal.

Stress arouses the sympathetic nervous system and triggers the release of powerful substances like epinephrine, norepinephrine and corticosteroids.[1 ] Blood pressure goes up and large muscles prepare for movement or battle. [2 ] The immune system is compromised and the brain shuts down non-essential neural circuits, so we don't take in as much information.[3 ][4 ] We become less creative and old habits of thinking prevail. A ll of this has direct impact on our performance. We feel anxious, nervous or even depressed. This has direct impact on, well, everything.

Stress is not all bad -- a certain dose contributes to focus, excitement and readiness for hard work and play . But we're not wired to deal with "power stress" and when we are bombarded day in and day out for years, stress is dangerous.

It's an epidemic. A Google search on stress resulted in 7 3,000 new or updated websites containing news articles, blogs magazines, programs or advice on stress in life. The Grant Thornton International Business Report survey of business leaders found that the net increase in work-related stress increased 28 percent globally in 201 1 (less than Sponsored Show me Ads about...Fijian Custom & Culture Stories, events and tales about the custom, culture, tradition and aspirations of the Fijian people! 201 0's 45 percent increase, but still). A research study picked up in several South African news outlets reported a loss of R3bn -- or more than $300 million, U.S. -- due to the effects of stress on workers. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reported that for the first time in the organization's history , stress was the most common cause of employee absence.

This epidemic won't go away until we learn how to interrupt the sacrifice syndrome. Our companies can't do it for us, neither can doctors, counselors or loved ones. We need to heal, and healing starts with learning how to balance sacrifice with renewal. Managing the "cycle of sacrifice and renewal" begins with prioritizing well-being. You can start by cultivating practices that allow you to re-engage with y ourself, focus optimistically on the future and connect compassionately with other people. You can start with mindfulness -- tuning in to yourself, y our environment and others.

Mindfulness is the first step toward renewal. And no, you don't have to meditate for two hours a day , or attend a yoga class before work (nice, but impossible). You can start small. Find a few minutes every day -- and I do mean every day -- to be quiet, to breathe, to take in nature. Breathe and focus on gratitude, love and hope.

Like mindfulness, hope is a powerful antidote to stress. A vision of a better future, optimism and the belief we can make it happen helps to calm our nervous system. Think about your dreams. Help someone else achieve theirs.

Pick up trash on the way to work. Talk to a child about what he or she wants to be. Actions like these, done mindfully and often will make a difference.

These actions tap into hope and your desire to help others. You can renew yourself by slowing down long enough to get in touch with your most primal and powerful nature -- your concern for others and y our desire to connect with them and lend a hand. That's compassion. It's as simple as asking someone how they are in the morning and waiting long enough to hear the answer. Find someone to mentor, and give them your time. Stop managing performance and start coaching.

Learning to live mindfully and to focus on your shining light ..... energy ... around you and to have compassion will help you to ward off stress and balance yourself. It might not be easy , at first, because it is truly a new way to live. You will need to change old habits and resist the urge to pursue an impossible goal -- work-life balance.

Remember -- there really is no way to balance all that we do, until and unless we balance ourselves. You will find yourself having more energy , your relationships will be stronger and you will be happier.

Sources: Annie McKee, Ngozi Godwell and Angie Diaz Cervo

Samarpan Meditation 

Please follow below instruction : 

1. Sit comfortably preferably cross-legged on the floor.
2. Light a candle / lamp in front of Swamiji's Subtle Body photograph, (fire element helps reduce your thoughts).
3. Make an intense wish for awakening your kundalini energy by keeping hands out-stretched with palm facing upwards in the receiving position in front of computer monitor with full faith and pray Swamiji from bottom of your heart & it will be granted.
4. One will experience vibrations in palm indicating the awakening of Kundalini and one's mind will become thoughtless. Depending upon the spiritual level of individual various experiences would take place. Some may feel warmth in the palms. Some may experience tingling or some would experience flow of cold vibrations.
5. Sit with the eyes closed and attention on top of the head and chant mantra in three sets with shree swamiji and then sit for about ten minutes.
6. Mantra is.

Source: samarpanmeditation.org

The Lord is not a master or higher than you, the Lord is within you.
Love yourself!