Domain

Explanation

R U tired?

• I don't know, but nowadays I can't help feeling down at times
• I still eat, sleep, travel, study & work regularly as best as I can
• However, I just can't shake this feeling of drowsiness, ache & sometimes boredom
• No … I'm not complaining my work is assembly-line & extra long hours … quite the opposite, it demands my full commitment & passion
• I know that I should go on doing this work … there are daily routines & tasks to complete … my colleagues & customers depend on me … if I'm not doing, someone else still has to do it
• Moreover, I need to earn a living & support my family
• But,
• I keep feeling this little itch that is telling me something is missing in my life
• Can anyone out there help me?

U see it?

• Assuming that everyone has a unique niche within which one would feel completely energized yet at ease
• Then, U are not at your niche
• Most probably, U are bounded by concerns, biases, experiences & handicaps of the self, body or environmental context
• These form & imprison your natural enthusiasm, drive, motivation & indeed, passion for contributing to the worthy, whether in work, studies, family or life in general
• What should be has gradually become what must be
• What is fulfilling has deteriorated to become what is exhausting
• What is satisfactory has degraded to what is mandatory
• Life is no longer living & breathing, but only run-of-the-mill routines of work & habits of the mind
• The spontaneity, creativity, humour & refreshments of living no longer exists, slowly & almost unnoticeably replaced by the rigidity, regularity, staunchness & staleness of working mechanics
• Is this the humanitarian future that our forefathers envision?

R U aware?

• The awareness that something is missing, that something is wrong, that routines and habits are not fulfilling, that satisfaction no longer exists
• That the meaning of work is diminishing and deteriorating, that the value of work, no matter how much the pay, is no longer sought after
• These are warning signs that arrive before danger signs, after which imminent misfortunes would happen
• Then, U have come a long way - that of becoming aware of the lack of enthusiasm
• This realization is necessary for the survival & fulfillment of both the individual & the organisation
• It is this awareness of warning signs or even mild symptoms that successful people & organisations in work & life are expert at
• These warning signs often come in the aspects below:

1. Professionals: reach peak levels at 40s, but begin to face mortality of elder generations; tend to stick difficult situations due to their problem-solving nature until it is too late - they postpone their sense of urgency
2. An increasingly persistent nagging sense of doubt until it is impossible to ignore
3. Presence of unavoidable life-changing events, whether macro (bombings, economic crises, wars) or micro (deaths, retrenchments)
4. Tend to stick to job & become miserable for too long
5. Quieter signals, like a sense of unease can be just too easy to miss or dismiss
6. Working enthusiasm, passion & meaning of work fading

• Isn't it time to contemplate?

U acknowledge it's time to take stock?

• Identify any one of these warning symptoms:

1. I'm trapped: trapped, bounded & caged by security, responsibilities & corporate duties
2. I'm bored: the achievement of day-to-day goals (using ambition & determination) is not equal to performing truly satisfying work (with fun, passion & drive)
3. I'm not the person I want to be: becoming slowly absorbed into the culture until the initial drive is completely sapped away; focus on what should do & avoid what like to do; being so adaptive (a buzz term) that they no longer recognise themselves after a few years - sounds familiar?
4. I can't ignore the calling: a sudden realization, might spiritual
5. I won't compromise my ethics: in the process of working, ethics, values & views are strongly eroded & replaced (in other words, brainwashed); work has become life; they lose sight of their core values
6. Life is too short: life vulnerability becomes acute - life can end anytime; why not prioritise & make fuller living?; takes trauma to shake some to take a hard look at life, themselves & their place in it

• Taking time to look back & forward?

Reflecting on the past?

• Look back at your lifeline so to speak
• Take an objective view - pick out the successes, the failures, the difficult periods, then the present
• Look underneath these events - sort out the underlying values that accompany U through these changes
• Define the principles for life: interpret the meanings of these underlying values, their evolutions and their directions & focus - the principles of life, like statistical properties rarely changes, no matter how chaotic the circumstance
• Extending the horizon: perceive & expect the patterns within
• Envisioning the future: build a vision of your ideal future; forget worrying about the feasibility; just focus on developing your dream - remember what Doc Brown said in Back to the Future III "The future is whatever U make of it to make the best of it for the both of U"
• How to rejuvenate myself?

Renewing yourself?

• When it's time to stand up after a fall or a rest, take heed of the following ideas for renewal:

1. Call time-out: take sacrifices (sometimes security and self-identity are tied to work - too great a sacrifice to make), successes & failures in the face; take stock of life; step off & do the difficult that U have often put off
2. Find a program: enroll in a structured guide; learn to identify & design your ideals; work diligently towards them
3. Create reflective structures: successful people always incorporate regular time & space whenever & wherever needed for self-examination; collective reflections as a group can also promote sharing that germinate as sources of motivation & support with confidence
4. Work with a coach: coaching w.r.t. strengths & weaknesses, views & biases; experiences; gives confidence in dreaming; helps to recognise our level
5. Find new meaning in familiar territory: adopt & gradually absorb minor shifts w.r.t. values & beliefs for clarity in work & life; construct & maintain this barometer for conduct

• With awareness, reflections & renewal can our passion be awakened & our lives be enlivened