Last month Morgan Stanley invited me to share my thoughts on how to increase your effectiveness by finding balance.
What??
Aren’t effectiveness and balance in constant tension?
Well, I’d say not. This talk was called, “How to Make the Next 10 Years Your Best 10 Years.”
And from the buzz in the room, I’d say the topic hit home.
Whether it’s the promotion that is always just out of reach, the feeling that you can’t manage your boss, or the sense that you’ve lost touch with what having it all really means, I’m convinced that it’s the myth of possibility that leads to burnout.
I’m a bit obsessed with this right now.
We postpone gratification (or just good old self-care), we strive, we hang on just a bit more.
I’m not saying forget living up to your potential.
I’m saying that high achievers step over the critical parts of life that restore us.
And the “rugged individual” value system we work in makes it hard to fight.
So in the session at Morgan Stanley, we did something quite simple. We asked one another, “What do you want?”
There’s a technique to it, but the net/net is that knowing what we want is often concealed by the pressure and information overload we face all the time.
That makes it easy to lose track of what will keep you in balance, feeling strong, fighting burnout.
So here’s a question: What do you want?
Here’s another one: What are you going for? Take a closer look. Is it what you want, exactly? Could you tweak it to make it more of what you want, or to make the journey more fun?
I’m a huge believer in living up to each of our potential, and I LOVE possibility.
I just like to make sure it leaves you at choice, not dragging behind the 8-ball.
Before I go, here’s something that I want. I love doing these talks! If you’d like to bring this kind of talk to your workplace, or to an association you are part of, please reach out.