Row, row, row your boat,
gently down the stream,
merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream.
Living in Chronos Time Can be Stressful
The Greeks gave us two words for time: Chronos, or a
quantitative concept of time, and Kairos, or a
qualitative experience of time.
When
you're living in Chronos time, you might say 'time marches on' as you create your schedules laid out in sequential chronological order and you carefully develop plans and strive to meet looming deadlines on time and under budget.
Our Western culture--especially our work culture--is built on Chronos time. We're always a
step behind and hurrying to catch up to be more productive and stay on
schedule. It is the world of headaches and stress as we try to conform to the
strict task master--the time clock--and other's expectations.
Living in Kairos Time is where You'll Find Satisfaction
Alternatively, when your life plays out in Kairos time, you choose to make the most of your
time. Life flows, unfolds, and blossoms like a spring garden, with many things
happening at once--and all in the right time. What is essential is at the heart
of your day. This is the world of balance, contentment, and allowing. This is
where you find your Zen moments and discover what sparks joy and satisfaction.
Bringing the Simple Flow of Life in the Right Time to Work
Kairos time is 'that
which sparks joy' or 'that which takes you down the path of flow'. It is an
experience of time in which you're totally absorbed in the moment. Immersed
in Kairos time you're unhurried by deadlines, plans, or schedules. It is a
life rich with meaning and full of relationships.
But if you live and
work in a Western Culture that favors Chronos time, how do you ever find your
way to living in Kairos time? Here's the secret: You make a conscious
decision to throw an internal switch to bring the Kairos experience into the
middle of Chronos living.
The Internal Switch
No one else needs to
know you made the switch, however people will notice there is something
different about you. You'll be calmer, more accessible, creative, and
productive as you live as you are meant to be with that spark that comes from living with
flow.
What is this internal
switch to throw? It's deciding to live as a 'Peak Performer'--defined as
someone who is internally driven and chooses to spend 2/3 of the day doing
things they enjoy.
Find Ways to Enjoy What You Must Do
I know, easier said than
done--especially if you're in an uninspiring job. Surprisingly, not all
Peak Performers are in jobs they love. What makes the difference in Peak Performers
is they find ways to enjoy what they must do--or move on.
There's the switch. For a Peak Performer, a satisfying life is too precious to waste on uninspiring work. So they find a way to enjoy what they must do or move on.
To spend 2/3 of your
day engaged in activities you enjoy means you need to really consider what sparks joy in you, and to lead your life based on it--even at work.
Seek Work That Sparks Joy
When on the hunt for a new position,
if you seek work that contains elements that spark joy in you, you'll more
easily convey excitement for the work in a resume or interview instead of
stumbling over yourself in self-consciousness.
This is the key~When you're in a state of flow, self-consciousness is nonexistent.
To reframe Henry Ford's quote, 'obstacles and self-consciousness are what you see when you take your eyes off that which sparks joy and you move out of flow.'
If you see a project at work that titillates your senses, step forward to talk about your excitement for that project. When your attention is consumed by following a path of interest you aren't obsessing over yourself, or questioning if you have the skills or experience. You are clearly focused on a desire to take on that challenge.
Self-consciousness,
fear of failure, and fear of falling behind have no place in Kairos time. Your
focus is on this moment in flow that has captured your attention and sparks joy.
Everything is playing out in the most wondrous way!
Be Surprised!
Life is Good.
The fates are watching over you and
Life is paving the way for your success!
Kairos Opens Unlimited Energy and Enthusiam for the Right Challenge
Lao Tzu's
description of nature's timing illustrates Kairos.
"Nature
does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished' . Grass does not try to
grow. Water does not try to flow. Flowers do not try to bloom. They just do.
There is no hurry in plant time, just the simple flow of life in the right
time."
Kairos time IS the
simple flow of life in the right time. Stop judging quiet times of gestation as procrastination, and flailing yourself for failing to be 'on it' at all times. Sometimes you just have to let life flow around you. You'll take the next step in the right time. There is no hurry in human time either.
You know when you're engaged in an activity that captures your interest you don't worry about having the energy or enthusiasm for pursuing it. You gallop towards it unfettered and unselfconsciously, allowing yourself to totally immerse yourself in it. Use this knowledge to adjust your approach to work.
Discover ways to switch into
Kairos time in your work life, and allow yourself to experience life in an unhurried, calm and
focused manner--one that naturally sparks a deep peaceful joy and provides you unlimited energy and enthusiasm for pursuing the right challenge in the right time.
If you've been stuck in a hurried and joyless time at work, allow yourself to switch to work based on Kairos living. Give up racing time to allow
yourself to contemplate what sparks joy in the moment, and then relax into
it. Go on, throw that switch.
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For more than 35 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up
and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to
your heart, puts you at ease, and makes letting go and moving forward with life
easier than ever before.
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