Career and Health

Friday, July 21, 2006

Mad About Work

Text: Wyn-Lyn Tan

At Family's first seminar, speaker David Oliver shed light on how work and family likfe can be a happy union.

Start by being happy at work. That may be the key factor in achieving a successful work-life balance.

David Oliver stressed the point when he spoke recently on Making "Home" Work at Family's first seminar, At Home With Family. The inspirational speaker and author of Work: Prison of Destiny, says, "When you're unhappy at work, it will inadvertently affect your family."

But not all of us have dream jobs, you say? Oliver rationalises that it's all about making choices and finding the right motivation at work. Choose to put passion at work, and passion will continue at home. But work with a heavy heart filled with overwhelming stress, and no doubt, these work "toxins" will spill over into your family life.

Oliver suggests some practical strategies to putting the spring back into work and managing work-life relationships.

Work with Passion
If work is starting to feel jaded, perhaps it's time to
  • Have a change of attitude worth catching. Tell yourself you can do it, and you will.
  • Remember that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And the longer we leave a task, the harder it is to get going.
  • Give unconditionally. Share all your ideas and knowledge at work, for the more you give, the more you'll receive.
  • Be a friend. Do to others what you would like done to you. Give a sincere compliment, for instance. Or do acts of kindness, such as giving a little note of appreciation.
  • Keep an attitude of forgiveness. Life is too short to hold a grudge. Don't let others get in the way of your passion.
  • Put people before things and spend time with them, even if it costs.
  • Welcome change. Fear is what stops us from pursuing new things.
  • Say no to debt we cannot manage. If we're constantly playing catch with the bank and credit card companies, the stress can have us in the wrong job, and drive the pleasure out of work.
Work and Family - The Twain Can Meet!
1. LOSE SOME GUILT It's not about stumbling on that perfect schedule, or that our family demands too much time. The reality is there is just not enough time for you to do everything you are convinced you need to do, or that everyone expects you to do. We have to accept that saying "yes" always means saying "no" somewhere else.

2. GO HOME ON TIME Tell yourself you'll leave the office by 6pm, and it'll give you the energy and motivation to be more productive and work more efficiently.

3. SHARE YOUR WORK WITH THE FAMILY "We often seperate work and family, and that creates tension. It would be ideal if you're working together with the family because it'll be like having a best friend at work. But if not, invite your family into your work place to let them know you're in this as a family. I'm 53 years old, but till today, I can still remember the great pride I had in my dad when he first brought me to see his office when I was 18."

4. LOVE YOURSELF "For me, being on my boat alone restores my soul. It's not wrong to love yourself - if you don't get it right for yourself, how can you do it for others?"

5. RESPECT YOUR PARTNER'S SPACE "Likewise, allow your partner to love herself. My wife like to do jigsaws to relax. Her stuff makes a mess, and it irritates me sometimes, but I must learn to give her space to restore her soul her way."

6. UNWIND BEFORE RETURNING HOME FROM WORK "Find somewhere away from the immediate noise to do what I call the 'the stone's throw', where you skip pebbles on the water. Or find other little routines to unwind before heading home from work, like listening to music in the car."




Extracted from Family:January 2006

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home