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Chances are, you’re a master of juggling it all, making it happen, and pushing through. But it comes at a cost. We are living in an epidemic of burnout, with overwhelm and exhaustion is at an all-time high. The statistics on work burnout are staggering. Most of us are now living in survival mode.
The good news? There is another way. Having spent the last two decades supporting leaders, changemakers, and trailblazers to not only survive the challenging paths they’ve chosen but to actually thrive, I’ve learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t.
We’re in an epidemic of burnout and survival mode because we treat ourselves like machines, rather than living beings with a body, a heart, and a soul. We forget that we’re human, or we see it as an unfortunate downfall. We’re only human after all.
Somewhere along the way, consciously or not, you set your sights on being a well-oiled machine, cranking day and night, so you could be and do ALL THE THINGS. ‘Mind over matter’ has won out over your body and heart.
The counter-culture secret to thriving in your life and career is to be intentional about nourishing your humanness.
Sounds radical, but what if you were thriving in your life and work because of your humanness and your humanity, and not in spite of it? Human creativity, consciousness, play, joy, and love are not only the sources of the game changing innovation we need, but they are also the stuff that makes life worth living. You know, thriving rather than just surviving.
Don’t get me wrong, grit and perseverance are spectacular human traits to celebrate and are important pieces of the thriving puzzle. But don’t confuse healthy grit with grinding yourself to the bone.
Do you keep telling yourself that if you just get through one more project, milestone, or deadline, then you’ll be able to take a bit of a breather – but then there’s another and another? You’re not alone. It might be an odd question from an executive coach, and I regularly have to ask clients if their goal in life is to become a machine, because they’re acting like it is.
Meanwhile, great towering cedars live hundreds of years providing home to many creatures while creating oxygen that sustains life on earth. Not bad. How about the bumble bee who is a mechanical impossibility and yet flies and pollinates our crops? Or the tiny hummingbird that shows up in our yards after flying from Central America each Spring? Now, that’s impressive. It might be time to turn our aspirations away from these machines we have modeled ourselves after. They get used up and broken down eventually dumped and replaced. No wonder we’re struggling.
Read more
- Focus your attention on what matters most
- How to enjoy a work-free vacation (without working 24/7 before and after)
- Breaking through barriers: How to implement an ‘unstuck’ framework
What if moving from surviving to thriving might simply involve drawing your inspiration from the natural world rather than machines?
Try turning your curiosity toward what the forests, the herd of horses, the flowers, and the eagles have to teach you about thriving. Here are three simple places to start:
1. Care for yourself as you would a plant
If you were a plant, what would you need to thrive? Sunshine, water, fresh air, and nourishing soil. There’s no better time than the summer to be handed a prescription for fresh air, sunshine, and water. How about some nourishing food? Throw in a dash of play and joy to nourish the soul.
2. Take a page out of Mother Nature’s playbook
Move in cycles and seasons of rest and exertion, receiving and giving, incubating and blooming, breathing in and breathing out. You can’t be on all the time – it just leads to fatigue and wear. And never carry things alone – lean on and tap into the intricate and interconnected web of support all around you.
3. Take mini-doses of Vitamin N(ature)
Sure, a week-long vacation is a great way to revitalize by immersing yourself in nature; however, taking tiny moments here and there throughout your day to soak up mini-doses of nature has a more remarkable impact! Give these a try:
- Stop and smell the roses, or whatever aroma nature is offering.
- Look up and check out the view: the colours, the textures, the endless feast for your eyes.
- Listen for the birdsongs, the wind in the trees, the movement of the water. A cornucopia of sound awaits.
If you’re ready to leap and bound up and over your next mountain with the power and grace of a cheetah or a herd of wild horses rather than chugging through the mountain pass like the little engine that could, then play along and see what happens.
If you doubt that these ideas can radically change your life, please do give them a try. I’ve watched these simple invitations transform the lives of thousands of people just like you. What have you got to lose?
You get to choose.
Tanis Frame, MSc, is a longtime facilitator and sought-after leadership coach.
