People always ask me~ Why are you working?
I find it odd that health professionals would be especially puzzled by my desire and need to be productive…I mean really, there are times that my work is all that keeps me here and keeps me going! I love my family and friends of course, but to have my brain being used for a purpose enlivens and empowers me in the face of what ever is going on with my ALS symptoms that day. It’s not that I’m working that’s important it’s what I’m working ON.
I have created a Big Picture. I am out to transform the way people are managed in corporate America and how they manage themselves. I have a vision of “Wholistic Management” where the manager’s job is to ensure the wellbeing and inspired productivity of their charges, not to be a penal code enforcer for the organization. I assert that when people are managed for self care/wellness as an access to SUSTAINABLE HIGH PERFORMANCE everyone will thrive and maybe even experience joy at work. Human resources are not assets to be used, but resources to be sustainably managed. As a hospice nurse I know commented, “No one ever says ‘I wish I would have worked more hours’ on their death bed.”
There was a series of interviews conducted by Tony Campolo in which he asked people over 95 years of age this question: What would you do differently?
The Top 3 responses were:
1) Risk More
2) Reflect More
3) Build something that lasts beyond me
In my Master Class – the 6 month program that follows the Master Plan Program -I deal with the participant’s Big Picture. They already have a working plan that maps out the next 5-8 weeks in the future and they have created a “Merlin” for their year~ a juicy vivid vision of what would be an immensely gratifying year for them. As we deepen the practices and distinctions of the Master Plan Program, I find that people begin to question or inquire into What’s my Life about? What is it for? This inquiry leads us to the creation of their BIG PICTURE.
I use Tony Campolo’s research as a starting point and ask the participants to reflect on what would have them look back on their life with no regrets? If they were to build some thing that lasts beyond them what would it be? What makes their heart sing and fulfills them? What risks could they take
that they now are not taking? It’s interesting that few people say anything about amassing a fortune or being promoted, they usually start with the phrase
“I would make a difference by/ with /through…blankety blank blank”. Many times this goal can be achieved through their current job or company and sometimes they know it’s time to move on into something new… either way we create a plan that includes their Big Picture in some aspect of their lives. It can look like community involvement, a part time project or a new initiative in the work place, in any case the results I see are people clear and focused in all ares of life experiencing being fulfilled by their endeavors and living with a new sense of calm and peace.
I believe at the core all we want to do is contribute…so whats your Big Picture? What are you Building?
Tags: Big picture, making a difference, Master Class, master plan program, Merlin, reflect, risk, Tony Campolo, Wholistic Management