In our society, “doing a million things at once” is judged to be impressive, while “appreciating the moment” is seen as lazy.

In our society, being “efficient” is admired, while “paying attention to the task at hand” is seen as unproductive.

In our society, “defeating a competitor” is seen to be powerful, while “donating to the downtrodden” is often seen to be waste of resources.

We have been raised in a culture that cherishes the work over the result of the work; that respects the effort that goes into making a product over the usefulness of the product itself; that encourages us to produce more than it inspires us to Care.

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves” ~ Jack Kornfield

Well, you do not have to play by those rules anymore … You, my Friends, are free to leave this cage at any time.

And here are a few general tips to help you do so …

TIP #01: RELEASE YOUR DREAMS … One of the major contributors to the high-stress levels of workaholics is their almost suffocatingly intense desire to meet others’ expectations, fulfill personal goals &/or satisfy long-term dreams.

There is nothing “wrong” with these intentions, of course. It can be Kind to bring others more satisfaction by meeting their expectations, it can prove meaningful to persistently work towards fulfilling a personal Purpose, and it can be invigorating to have an “End-Vision” towards which we guide our lives.

The problem is not with desiring to make others happy or attain personal success or achieve longed-for dreams. The problem is in stressing out over the same.

Others’ expectations are as fickle as they are mysterious, and we will almost never be able to fully satisfy them. Our own personal goals rarely harmonize fully with the circumstances of our lives, and we must be ready to accept this Truth and amend them accordingly. And every long-term dream is hidden in the thick haze of the future. Striving to manifest them with any degree of specificity will not only lead to disappointment, but will keep you from attaining an even grander Vision that always waits nearby.

As a remedy for these counterproductive intentions, then, place three sheets of paper and a pen before you.

On the first sheet, write down the primary expectations that others have for your life. What does your boss expect of you? What does your partner expect of you? What do your friends expect of you? What does your community expect of you?

On the second sheet, write down all the major goals you would like to accomplish. What do you want to do by the end of next week? What do you want to finish by the end of next month? What do you want to accomplish by the end of next year?

Finally, on the third sheet of paper, write down your three most important long-term dreams. What do you want to accomplish before you die? Where would you like to go? How would you like to live? What would you like to do?

Now, gather up all three pieces of paper, go outside with a lighter or a box of matches … and set them all on fire.

You cannot ever hope to fulfill the expectations of others. Indeed, it is not productive at all to “push the river” in order to attain what you think is best … and it is simply not possible to ever be able to perfectly fulfill your dreams.

You are here in this life to make the most of this moment, and this moment only. And if you do so repeatedly, over time you will experience the reality of dreams fulfilled that are far more wonderful than any you could ever imagine., you will have Success that far outstrips every goal for which you yearn, and the others in your life will receive something more than mere fulfilled expectations – they will receive a true Friend.

TIP #02: PURPOSE-FULLY “DO NOTHING” … Realize first & foremost that this Tip is NOT a call to “sit around” or “relax” or “chill out” or “meditate on the Oneness of Being”. Rather, it is about transforming both our desire to “just do something” as well as our desire “sit and do nothing” into the reality of “DOING by BEING & BEING while DOING” (see picture) … Essentially, we choose to transform our hollow acts of unconscious doing into Joy -full acts of conscious Living.

When we act, we are acutely aware of WHY we are acting, and that WHY must involve the service of others. And when we do not act, we are consciously aware of the WHY of not acting, and that WHY must be filled with Gratitude for this beautiful life we have been given.

With this method, the WHAT of our action (or our inaction) is essentially irrelevant. We are simply focused on consciously avoiding all forms of vacant, purposeless “productivity”.

Whenever we catch ourselves working unconsciously, we pause and either consciously re-engage the work for another’s benefit, or we choose to stop working entirely and simply BE grateful for our life.

Whenever we catch ourselves working simply to work, we pause and either consciously re-engage the work for another’s benefit, or we choose to stop working entirely and simply BE grateful for our life.

Whenever we catch ourselves working for personal approval or to gain the respect of others, we pause and either consciously re-engage the work for another’s benefit, or we choose to stop working entirely and simply BE grateful for our life.

In this way, we return to either being actively Kind with our bodies or actively Thankful with our minds.

Everything in our lives becomes vibrant and Meaning-full.

“Doing nothing” becomes DOing everything …
… and “being productive” becomes BEing with Purpose.

TIP #03: ENGAGE MEANING-FULL ACTIVITIES … According to the average workaholic, the only way to be satisfied with your life is to be satisfied with your job. And according to Malcolm Gladwell, the only way to be satisfied with your job is if your job gives you a sense of autonomy (where you have some say in how you organize your day), a sense of complexity (where your daily tasks are diverse and shift over time), and a sense of reward (where you see a direct benefit for your hard work).

This all makes perfect sense, of course, and you can strive to find fulfillment in your life in this way if you wish. Of course, for most workers in most economies around the world, it is almost impossible to satisfy all three of these goals with any one job.

Fortunately, there is an alternative … one that is available for every worker on the planet in every moment of their lives.

And this alternative requires replacing living productively with living Meaning-fully..

Instead of feeling a sense of false-autonomy by doing what you want to do at work, you can find the deep-seated sense of Autonomy that comes to those who choose to Care for others – and this whether you are on the job or not.

Instead of feeling a sense of false-complexity by engaging a number of different and “interesting” tasks at work, you can experience the deep-seated sense of Complexity that comes to those who engage different act of Kindness every day – and this whether you are on the job or not.

Instead of feeling a sense of false-reward by “getting paid enough” for your work, you can know the deep-seated Reward that comes to those who get their satisfaction from Serving their community – and this whether you are on the job or not.

It is a Beauty-full Life we have all been given, my Friends – but you won’t know it until you slow down enough to appreciate it; until you start to make your life about others’ Joy instead of your own “productivity”.

“If you’re too busy to help those around you, then you’re too busy.” ~ anonymous

“A man who uses only his hands is a mere laborer. A man who uses both his hands and his mind is a craftsman. And yet the man who uses his hands, his mind and his Heart becomes an artist.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi