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Share Life

This is Part 8 in the Apt Design 2011 Ebook Series – Creating Work/Life Balance.
Click here to get the book and see the whole series.

In January of 2010 I took a private business retreat that quickly turned into a holistic life retreat. One idea that really came to me as I meditated was the idea “Share Life.” It seemed like such an important epiphany that I added it to my personal mission statement:

  • Share Life desktop wallpaperSimplify Life
  • Enjoy Life
  • Purify Life
  • Share Life

And so this Creating Work/Life Balance series ends not with a 50-tip list for arranging your paper clips or a post on how to increase your productivity 1,000-fold, but a simple reminder to spend time with each other.

Because if you think about it aren’t the best parts of your life – the most glorious moments, the minutes filled with ringing laughter, the deepest experiences, the most special and significant seconds – aren’t they the times when you were together with other people?

Coming to this realization has put things into perspective for me. Now, part of achieving a work-life balance is being able to work little enough so that I have time for the important people in my life. Cause that’s what its all about. Spending time in a tea party with my daughter (even when she’s too young to remember it later!) becomes more important than doing more work for work’s sake. Turning off email to spend quality time in conversation with my wife just make sense. Flexing my schedule to help out a friend in the middle of the day becomes no big deal.

Work is nice and work is great, but let’s remember what’s really important at the end of the day, week, and career. The time spent with people is what we should be working for.

Life with a Capital L

And as a Christian sharing life is more than just hanging out with others. Its sharing the Abundant Life that has been freely shared with me. Its about sharing the Truth and Love that is Life and pouring love into other people as a calling in life.

Whether you life by faith or not, we should all take time to share the life we have with those less fortunate than us – either financially, physically or emotionally. Sharing life is just as much about helping others as it is anything else.

Do this Now:

Go make an appointment right now to hang out with someone (in person) that you should spend time with.

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07/18/11 Comments (0) , , , , , ,

Finding Your Place of Refuge

Note: This is a guest post from Tyler Fitzgerald, a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, currently training at England’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

I love my job.  I haven’t met many people who enjoy their job as much as I do on a day-to-day basis (except for my brother Brad, of course).  Nonetheless, there are still times during the day that I need to get away. I’m sure you do too.  Whether it’s too much on your plate at a time, tough deadlines, terrible coworkers, or some specific frustration with your profession, there is bound to be sometime you need to release some steam.  Instead of ranting at your coworkers, try going to your place of refuge.

Whatever you want to call it – quiet place, place of solace, get away – make sure you have one.  Maybe it’s a certain song with the headphones on and your eyes closed.  Maybe it’s hiding in a broom cupboard and taking three deep breaths.  Maybe it’s reading your favorite selection of the Good Book.  Just make sure your refuge can be accessible almost anytime during the day, and easily reached when you need it. Consistency is key to making your refuge work, so get into a routine of going there. Your place may or may not be a physical location, but you should be somewhat isolated.

I’ll even let you in on my secret place of refuge when I’m on field exercises: in my sleeping bag zipped up all the way with my balaclava rolled up around my ears.  The crux of my refuge is that balaclava.  I pretend that when I have it on nobody can wake me up mid-slumber to give me a menial task to perform.  I immediately relax when I put on that balaclava and forget the current stresses.  And getting away from current stresses, even for a moment, is the point of your place of refuge.

The potential importance this has on your daily work routine is enormous. The main way to take advantage of your refuge is to use it as a form of escapism.  Don’t waste your refuge time worrying about your current dramas or even trying to brainstorm solutions to a problem, just go there and relax.  Even simply knowing that your place of refuge exists can relieve lots of stress.

Most importantly, as with everything else, make it fun!

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04/09/10 Comments (0) , , , , ,

1 Simple Way to Love Your Job More

We all have times when we hate our job.  Sometimes it can be tough to tell where the problem is – you or the job.  Well, ok.  Maybe its your job.  But even great jobs are not always perfect, there will always be something that will get frustrating.  One great option is simply to quit and get a job you love or make your own job .  (Read my Young Business series when you’re ready to start working for yourself)

But if you’ve decided you’re not going to leave, you need to find ways make your current situation better.  Here’s one simple way to help yourself enjoy your job more. Read More »

09/25/09 Comments (3) , , , , ,