Tag Archive for: intention

Today there is a deep desire to connect to our authentic self, our true nature.

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Whether or not we can articulate that desire, this yearning can show up when you say something like, “I have a good job and make a living, but I’m not able to find a sense of meaning in it; I want something that I have a reason for doing.” The pandemic made this inquiry, for many, more explicit and deliberate.

We live in a society obsessed with an economic view, which supports us to work at jobs that don’t mean anything, or that we can’t find a way of making the job meaningful. I think we inevitably end up depressed or exhausted when we focus our energy on something that only responds to material things and is void of meaning.

It’s fine to spend forty hours a week on a job that’s meaningless, as long as you know what your real vocation is and find a way to express it – either in your work or away from your paid work.

Then you won’t confuse your job with the meaning of your life.

Are you re-inventing yourself when necessary?

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It’s natural to get comfortable in our life situation. But if we aren’t conscious and intentional, we can unknowingly become unsuitable to our existing environment. I’ve learned is that it’s good to periodically re-invent yourself in response to different life events. Regularly renewing yourself is a crucial component of personal growth and development. Otherwise, we can get trapped in cycles of complacency. What got you here won’t necessarily get you there.

I find this true in the speaking business. I give a presentation. The audience loves it. So I repeat it to the next audience. And they love it. Even though I customize the material, it’s easy to get into a rut giving essentially the same presentation over and over. Success can actually lead to failure.

It’s been the big changes in my life that have created the most meaningful opportunities to re-invent myself: the death of a close relative, the birth of a grandchild, kids leaving home; downsizing and moving to a new location. And now I am re-examining and rebranding our Authentic Leadership Academy with a team of colleagues.

How are you re-inventing yourself to respond to different life events?

What does it take to be a good listener?

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When a friend asked if my ability to listen came naturally or I had to intentionally learn it, her question got me thinking.I certainly don’t see myself as a great listener all the time. I have to keep working at it.

I developed my skill of listening when I was an insecure kid. Riveted with fear and self-doubt, it was simply safer to listen than speak and risk looking like a fool. Listening became my way of hiding from the world.

To this day it’s easier to listen and empathize with others than articulate my thoughts and emotions, particularly in an unrehearsed one-on-one conversation.

It turns out this skill was developed through adversity. A liability can be transformed into an asset. It has obviously been a strength in the work I do, but I have to be careful when it exceeds its function and keeps me from risking fully in life.