May 15, 2011
Spring is a time to be off balance on purpose
Tom Intven
LO President
Oh spring: in our businesses it’s such a double-edged sword, isn’t it? We are pulled a thousand different ways, stretched and stressed to the max. There aren’t enough hours in the day. No matter how well we plan, it never works out exactly as how we thought. Everyone’s patience is tested.
On the other side of the coin, spring provides us with the opportunity to reach our full potential. We wait for it the entire year. We make most of our money from April to June. Spring excites us, enlivens us. And despite all the stress and strain, it is our favourite time of the year.
We all have heard much (and been lectured to) about achieving balance in our lives. We are told to work less, spend more time with our family and friends, and to de-stress. I hear this especially from many of my friends, who have retired, or are about to. And, while my wife, family and friends certainly push me to make more time for them during spring, sometimes it’s just not possible. So, instead of feeling guilty about it, I’ve decided to accept the lack of balance during spring and rationalize it intellectually by thinking in terms of being “off balance – on purpose.”
I first heard this term a couple years ago from Dan Thurmon, a motivational speaker who recently wrote a book, Off Balance On Purpose – Embrace Uncertainty and Create a Life You Love.
On purpose has two very important definitions. First, our actions must be intentional and deliberate. This means taking responsibility for what we do and making conscious choices about how we invest our time, energy and money. The second definition of on purpose is that our decisions and actions are directly linked to our values, beliefs, mission and goals. Instead of living a life of activity, by living off balance – on purpose, we build a pattern of action that comes from the very core of who we are.
Thurmon’s line of thinking is empathetic to the way most of us live our lives during the hectic spring months. We purposely work long hours and stretch ourselves so that we can achieve our business goals, either sales targets or measured business growth. But for many of us, by living off balance on purpose, we can fulfil some of our personal objectives in life as well.
I have observed that many of us have true passion for our work. Passion drives us. And fulfilment of passion is best achieved by pushing ourselves to the limit. We grow personally when we work hard at achieving goals that reflect our passion.
Another way to say passion is ‘I love my job.’ I envy the lucky people who can say this honestly. I have heard that comment frequently from many of our members and from our executive director who often sends out minutes of meetings and emails after hours and on weekends. When you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work. The effort and time spent fulfils a need, doesn’t cause stress and in fact energizes.
An important counterbalance to living off balance is re-establishing our sense of homeostasis. Homeostasis is that sense of equilibrium or calm for which all living beings strive. In the case of our spring rush, it refers to both the physiological and psychological components. I believe that the time spent living off balance should be compensated with down time that recharges our psychological batteries.
We all have different tolerance levels for working too long without a break. You need to know your own limits and ensure that you take me-time to keep your sense of calm, and your homeostasis.
In our off balance lives, we also have to keep in mind and respect the wishes of those who are important in our lives: spouse, family and friends. This is probably the most difficult area to juggle and satisfy – enough said.
Perhaps this spring you will take the time to reflect on your off balance on purpose life. Hopefully for you, it’s all worth it.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.
LO President
Oh spring: in our businesses it’s such a double-edged sword, isn’t it? We are pulled a thousand different ways, stretched and stressed to the max. There aren’t enough hours in the day. No matter how well we plan, it never works out exactly as how we thought. Everyone’s patience is tested.On the other side of the coin, spring provides us with the opportunity to reach our full potential. We wait for it the entire year. We make most of our money from April to June. Spring excites us, enlivens us. And despite all the stress and strain, it is our favourite time of the year.
We all have heard much (and been lectured to) about achieving balance in our lives. We are told to work less, spend more time with our family and friends, and to de-stress. I hear this especially from many of my friends, who have retired, or are about to. And, while my wife, family and friends certainly push me to make more time for them during spring, sometimes it’s just not possible. So, instead of feeling guilty about it, I’ve decided to accept the lack of balance during spring and rationalize it intellectually by thinking in terms of being “off balance – on purpose.”
I first heard this term a couple years ago from Dan Thurmon, a motivational speaker who recently wrote a book, Off Balance On Purpose – Embrace Uncertainty and Create a Life You Love.
Being off balance
Dan contends that we will never achieve perfect balance. We are in a constant state of being off balance, making adjustments in one area of our life that impact other areas of our life. In fact, being off balance is the desired method of operation for many of us, especially if we are driven to achieve our business or personal goals.On purpose has two very important definitions. First, our actions must be intentional and deliberate. This means taking responsibility for what we do and making conscious choices about how we invest our time, energy and money. The second definition of on purpose is that our decisions and actions are directly linked to our values, beliefs, mission and goals. Instead of living a life of activity, by living off balance – on purpose, we build a pattern of action that comes from the very core of who we are.
Thurmon’s line of thinking is empathetic to the way most of us live our lives during the hectic spring months. We purposely work long hours and stretch ourselves so that we can achieve our business goals, either sales targets or measured business growth. But for many of us, by living off balance on purpose, we can fulfil some of our personal objectives in life as well.
I have observed that many of us have true passion for our work. Passion drives us. And fulfilment of passion is best achieved by pushing ourselves to the limit. We grow personally when we work hard at achieving goals that reflect our passion.
Another way to say passion is ‘I love my job.’ I envy the lucky people who can say this honestly. I have heard that comment frequently from many of our members and from our executive director who often sends out minutes of meetings and emails after hours and on weekends. When you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work. The effort and time spent fulfils a need, doesn’t cause stress and in fact energizes.
Self-motivation is the key
The biggest hurdle we face as we grow older is to re-establish our goals so that living off balance still has relevance for us. In other words, if the end results of living off balance are no longer worth achieving, then the appeal of long hours and stressful times diminishes. Self-motivation is the key. We must continuously re-assess our goals and our passion and find ways to keep them alive and meaningful.An important counterbalance to living off balance is re-establishing our sense of homeostasis. Homeostasis is that sense of equilibrium or calm for which all living beings strive. In the case of our spring rush, it refers to both the physiological and psychological components. I believe that the time spent living off balance should be compensated with down time that recharges our psychological batteries.
We all have different tolerance levels for working too long without a break. You need to know your own limits and ensure that you take me-time to keep your sense of calm, and your homeostasis.
In our off balance lives, we also have to keep in mind and respect the wishes of those who are important in our lives: spouse, family and friends. This is probably the most difficult area to juggle and satisfy – enough said.
Perhaps this spring you will take the time to reflect on your off balance on purpose life. Hopefully for you, it’s all worth it.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.