Thank you
so much to those of you who have shared your thoughts about what happiness or
flourishing means to you. Sorry that many of you have had problems commenting
on the actual blog – it seems you need to be connected to one of their systems.
I don’t
know if there are Aristotle fans out there but you clearly are an intelligent
bunch – much of what you shared falls into Aristotle’s four key areas for a
flourishing life:
Physical –
nourishment, exercise, rest
Emotional –
Giving and receiving love
Social –
Relationships that allow for trust, sharing and fun
Rational –
time to pursue knowledge, reflect, express and create
Finding a
‘work-life balance’ is a buzz-word phrase of the moment and I’m beginning to
think a rather misleading one. There are a number of implications that I don’t
think I’m happy with. For example, there’s a negativity attached to the work
side of the equation. We are pretty negative when it comes to work in our
society – we celebrate Fridays and bemoan Mondays. The phrase also implies a
strong separation between the two which again is not a true reflection of life
for many people. Work may be the
Millstone
around your neck, but it doesn’t have to be. For many people work is a joy and
it allows them to reflect who they truly are. Work situations become a matter
of choice either you find joy in what you do or something needs to change – it
might be your attitude to the work or the job itself.
It has been
interesting for me shifting from a resources rich/time poor situation to a
limited resources/time rich one. This requires a realignment of priorities and
choices that fits more with the idea of life being like a puzzle than the
concept of balancing one thing against another. I have spent time over the
summer considering how I am going to cope with the changes that more time
brings. How am I going to structure my day? My week? It has been challenging –
there are all sorts of distractions and all sorts of voices that would impact
on this new adventure. But, if I think about it, the same was true in teaching
– there were still choices to be made about how to create a life that was worth
getting up for.
A number of
people in my life are in similar positions – some have changed their job
situation, others have a brand new life to take care of and others are facing the
‘empty nest’. Life is constantly changing. Each time is an opportunity to
create balance, to chase after what is good. I’m still finding my way – it
helps to consider Aristotle’s four areas (I think he missed one, more on that another
time) and I find it helpful to write – there is a technique known as
‘free-writing’ where you write without editing your thoughts, the words are
simply allowed to flow out of you. I am learning that I set myself high
expectations – unrealistic ones. I love a ‘to do’ list and I am making weekly
ones to set myself goals. I also love a sense of achievement (ticking the ‘to
do’ list!) Already these lists have incomplete or non-started jobs on, but I am
also learning that this is ok.
What are
your thoughts about ‘work-life balance’?
What are
your tips for bringing balance into your life?
What areas
of your life do you feel need realignment at the moment?
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ReplyDeleteSuzi, this is another interesting post and I'm intrigued to know what you think is missing from Aristotle's four areas.
ReplyDeleteAt some point, I came to thinking in terms of heart, mind, body and soul (that makes four!). Sometimes I have a sense that something's not quite right, or even sometimes that I'm getting lost or even totally out of control, when one area (or more) slips, sometimes without me noticing for a while. It's definitely a balancing act for me (or maybe a juggling act) but I agree with you that the balance is not necessarily between work and life.
The sense of balance and control maybe has something to do with maturity because, for example when I was younger I was more likely to go all out chasing one and then another, not being capable of pursuing all areas at once. But the balanced approach to life seems at odds with living passionately and whole-heartedly and spontaneously and authentically, other fashionable buzz-words that don't necessarily have the meaning they first suggest.
The Rio Olympics inspired me to realign and find a better balance, but I wonder how much balance Olympians themselves have in their lives and how they realign and adjust after the Olympics is over (after their intensely single-minded pursuits). Like a soldier coming back from a war-zone, or as you say, adapting to any of life's major changes, having some kind of plan surely helps, even if you don't stick to it. Carpe Diem? Or maybe not..(!)
I'm not going to give away any 'spoilers' in the comments section but I will get to 'missing bit' soon. Your four aspects are helpful categories for the areas of 'balance'. It is interesting within philosophical thinking that mind and soul have been synonmous and I guess what one means by 'soul' is up for discussion. In both your responses (to this and the last post) you have written about strategy or planning. I think these ideas are often unpopular with people - to plan or stratergise for happiness sounds odd but I think you're right. There are great things that happen spontaneously but planning allows for that thinking process and reflection as to what the priorities really are. I think as people we think we are more spontaneous than we really are. Somehow planning is associated with 'boring' and maybe even hard work but in reality we are often reactionary to circumstances and people but if we had more of a strategy for happiness maybe we would be less swayed by things that are out of our control. What do you think?
DeleteYes, I'd agree that planning allows for thinking, in advance of events. What it does is free-up mental capacity for spontaneity. Like planning lessons, the best exchanges are totally off-plan, and are all the more meaningful..
ReplyDelete