Movement, Mood and Meaning - by Rob Lambert
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A Cultivated Life Newsletter
Hi,
I hope you are safe and well. Things are hectic here at Lambert Towers as I get ready for a new studio being built in the garden.
Some of you may have seen the video I did on turning an old shed into a temporary YouTube studio. Well, that was short lived.
It turns out I couldn’t keep the cold and damp out, nor was it conducive to getting any serious number of videos done.
So, I’ve taken the plunge to get a studio built.
Mood follows motion - and motion drives meaning
The start to this year has been a tough one for me. I don’t know about you, but I’ve struggled to get out of a low funk that’s seen me lose a lot of motivation recently. I felt stuck. And still do to be honest.
But I know that mood follows motion, not the other way around.
If I wait for my mood to be right to write the book, go to the gym, do a video, play with my kids, work on this project or that project; I know nothing will get done.
Waiting for the right time is a fool’s game.
So, I know I need to move into action. I need a routine and a plan. I need to move, then the mood follows.
For those who do some sort of exercise, you’ll know that you don’t always feel like running, working out etc, but when you force yourself to go, you likely don’t regret it.
I always feel good after finishing a work out, finishing a video or going to the park with my kids. Mood follows motion.
Move then feel.
It’s the same at work. We don’t always feel like following the plan and the process and doing what we know needs doing. That 1:2:1 that I could easily move, that meeting I could easily skip out of or that piece of work that could wait until tomorrow. These are the decisions we face every day.
And we get a choice.
Let our mood drive our actions or do what needs to be done and then reap the benefits.
But be careful.
After much pondering I also realised that I get meaning from movement.
When I work on my goals, or deliver value at work, or am moving towards something, I feel like I have meaning. Like I have a purpose.
And this sounds good right?
But what about when burnout creeps in?
Or when we know we need a week off but feel we cannot spare the time?
Or when we try to stop and take a prolonged break, what happens?
We feel guilty we aren’t moving. We feel guilt that we are sitting around rather than grinding away. When we try to switch off after work we can feel guilt that we’re not checking our emails. There are always more activities and problems to solve at work.
Taking time out is essential to our personal life. It’s an important thing to do. So, we need to fight this dilemma. We need to realise that when we aren’t in motion against our goals, we aren’t losing our purpose, or meaning, or failing.
I find this hard.
I know that mood follows motion. And I also know I derive meaning from motion. But sometimes I need to stop and do nothing. I need to take time out.
And when people talk about work/life balance, they are misguided. It is not a balance but a tension.
We are comparing two vast parts of our life that are very different but both essential. We are comparing apples and donuts. We are trying to balance two things that are important to us for different reasons.
And this is a tension that is very personal to us and it needs managing. And managing this tension is a core skill I believe we can all benefit from developing.
How can we move and feel good? How can we move and feel meaning? How can we stop moving (to look after our health) and not feel guilty?
For me this comes right back to having a plan and routine that encompasses all the pillars of my life. It’s an ongoing project - and one I am realising is my focus in life.
Maintaining the tension, being a good father and husband, being a good citizen and being a good employer/employee, is not easy.
And when I lift myself out of the weeds and look at the pillars of my life, I feel calm. There is plenty of time to work on this. There is plenty of time to manage this tension. I will get it wrong, but I can learn. And this is my job.
Rob..
Interesting Links
Two thirds of companies looking to scale back remote working once the pandemic ends.
Show us your work - a good one from Seth Godin. I saw this a lot when recruiting engineers 100% year on year. HR would assume that because someone worked at Google or Facebook, that they were an immediate hire. We found many didn't make our high bar. Show us, don't tell (or assume).
Is your company a foodie company? I enjoyed this and ordered the book. After an email leak from major companies, many of the emails become public domain (be careful what you send). A creative scoured them to find food and recipe ideas. Seems some employees shared recipes with each other - and some companies were more "foodie" than others!
Goal setting drives engagement. Now there's a surprise....when everyone aligns around a common goal, everyone knows what they're doing and why. Surprised more companies aren't clearer about this.
Until next week
Rob
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Thanks
Rob..