No matter what position you hold in your professional life, you surely have responsibilities and objectives to meet and jobs to get done. But have you ever stopped to think about how your work pace is affecting you?

There’s a common misconception that the more you do and the faster you work, the more rewards you reap and the more accomplished you feel. We come by this fallacy honestly. After all, we live in a results-oriented, left-brained (rational) society. We’re like cogs in a wheel that keeps on spinning faster and faster, requiring us to get more and more done just to keep up. Life is more complicated nowadays. Everyone is expected to know it all and to do it all at a faster and faster pace. But when you’re always in spinning mode, you don’t know where you’re going. You’re too busy trying to stay on the wheel. Unfortunately, when you remain in this autopilot mode, you no longer appreciate the process itself and lose sight of the human dimension. Like the hamster on his wheel, the only thing on your mind is closing that next loop.

This approach to work is quite typical in our western society, where we are taught to believe that our value is based on what we do, not who we are. But when you’re trapped in a hamster’s cage whose wheel rarely stops spinning, how can you ever feel a lasting sense of satisfaction?

Of course, we have to be action-oriented to realize our projects and dreams, but finding value in those actions is what makes life truly satisfying.

Why do you do what you do? Do you do it out of a sense of obligation or out of a genuine desire to do something meaningful?

I suspect that when you’re on that spinning wheel, your thoughts about work tend to follow these lines:

“I feel great if I sell 10 pairs of glasses a day.” Or “I feel productive when I conduct 15 eye exams a day.”

But if you adopt a co-active approach to work [co = being (your essence) and active = doing], then your thoughts about work become completely transformed:

“I see the glasses I sell as art, and I want to offer my clients a rich experience.” Or “When I’m giving a patient an eye exam, I focus on my relationship with that patient because that’s what really matters to me.”

Do you see the difference?

In business and individual coaching, a co-active coach will lead his client to merge his actions with his values and to make more conscious choices in order to make his project or dream more inspiring.

So how can you tell if you’re trapped in a “hamster’s wheel”?

  • You do things unconsciously, in “autopilot” mode
  • You’re reactive versus proactive
  • Your shoulders are raised and your neck is tense
  • Your breathing is shallow and your pulse races
  • Your jaw is tense and you’re running on adrenaline
  • You stop seeing people as “human beings”, seeing them instead as “objects”
  • You have allowed stress to kill your creativity
  • You procrastinate
  • You’re in execution mode and no longer feel a sense of accomplishment
  • Basically, life is far from rosy!

To get off that wheel once and for all, you have to become conscious of what you’re doing. You have to strike a balance between being and doing in order to give true meaning to your life.

Here’s how:

  1. Make a decision to get off that wheel!
  2. Let your inner values, not outside forces, guide your actions (operate from the inside out).
  3. Put yourself and your relationships above the task at hand.
  4. Understand that your values have nothing to do with what you do or are required to do.
  5. Make a list of your values and be clear about those you hold dear and lines you refuse to cross.
  6. Create a morning routine that will allow you to connect to what matters the most to you. For example, take a few minutes to set intentions for the day. Then, when you go to bed at night, think about whether or not those intentions were met.
  7. Be aware of what your body is telling you during the day. If you feel like you’re back on that wheel, take a deep breath, look out the window, and get some fresh air. Once you’re back at your station, slow down your work pace.
  8. Realize that no human being can do it all. There will always be more work to do. It’s more important to do something well, with conscious thought, than to race through your work unconsciously.

The more conscious you are of your intentions, the more you can tap those inner resources and creativity, which will help you honour your priorities, reach your goals, and find lasting meaning in your work and life.

If you’re thinking about getting off that spinning wheel and slowing down, be sure to tell your colleagues about your intentions and how you plan to make the shift. Remember to breathe and to be aware of how your new-found approach to work affects you and those around you. Where you end up in six months is really up to you.

Thank you to leave comments,

Christine Lecavalier