, It's Time To Peel Back the Onion...

Author

Saieed Sadeghzadeh
October 30, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe here so you don't miss the next one!

Hi !

Welcome to this week’s edition of the newsletter.

What’s In It For You:

  • Uncover the deeper essence of work-life harmony beyond ‘tasks and time.’

  • Identify foundational elements of harmony crucial for sustainable success.

  • Learn how surrendering the uncontrollable and intentional rebuilding can help you in your leadership journey.

  • Join the 5-Day Surrender and Intention Challenge to help you get started.

Let’s Reflect:

Do any of these resonate?

  • You meticulously manage your tasks and time, yet true harmony feels elusive.

  • You view work-life harmony as achieving the "perfect schedule," but it remains out of reach.

  • You're seeking a deeper, more meaningful approach to achieving genuine harmony in your life.

Insight: Beyond the Surface of Work-Life Harmony

What you think you know about work-life harmony only scratches the surface.

Work-life harmony is much deeper than a simple relationship between tasks and time or solely focusing on energy management.

Over ten years ago, I faced significant burnout.

Initially, I naively believed my issues were limited to time management, reluctance to ask for help, and not aligning with my core values.

Despite my efforts, I constantly felt overwhelmed and unfulfilled.

Only later did I recognise the striking parallels between the steps people take in recovery and the journey leaders need to embark on for genuine harmony.

Key areas like self-awareness, surrender, and rebuilding with intention became pivotal in my recovery and are now the foundation of my coaching approach.

This journey evolved from ‘recovery’ into a ‘personal evolution.’

"We do not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."
— Carl Jung

The Foundational Elements of Work-Life Harmony

Like in recovery, the journey toward harmony starts with recognising who you truly are so that you can create a new ‘you’ with intention.

1. Self-Awareness

  • Understanding Your Core Values: What drives you? What matters most to you? What do you want to represent?

  • Identifying Unhealthy Patterns: What habits or behaviours are providing you with quick fixes or dopamine rushes to avoid dealing with deeper issues? Are there actions you take that serve as a temporary escape rather than addressing the root causes?

2. Surrender

Learning to let go of control over things you can't change is essential for growth.

  • Accepting Limitations: Can you recognise that you can't control everything? What does your own version of an inner locus of control look like?

  • Letting Go: What would your life look like without the need for perfection? How might releasing the past free you to move forward? What steps can you take to embrace imperfections?

3. Rebuilding with Intention

Once old, unhealthy patterns are stripped away, rebuilding with purpose is where true harmony is found.

  • Setting Clear Intentions: What do you want your life to look like? What are your long-term goals and aspirations? How do these align with your core values?

  • Aligning Actions with Values: How can you align your daily work with your values? What changes can you make to ensure your actions reflect what matters most? Are there specific habits you can adopt to stay true to yourself?

Reflection Time: Pause and consider the questions above, write them down, draw (if that’s your thing) or record yourself answering them.

Work-Life Bloom: How To Nurture A Team that Flourishes

This book is a must-read for anyone exploring the twelve key work-life factors determining whether you and your team members can grow and achieve work-life harmony.

Dan Pontefract contends that a thriving workplace isn’t about employee engagement levels, nor is it predicated on your team members ‘bringing their best selves' but rather ‘being their best.’

Dan is a renowned award-winning leadership strategist who has written four books, given four TED talks, and had four hundred thousand touchpoints over his career.

Quick Note: Schedule Your Free 30-Minute Clarity Call

If you're a senior leader ready to start your work-life harmony journey, I'm here to help. I've assisted leaders in some of the world's elite organisations.

Over To You: The 5-Day Surrender and Intention Challenge

For the next 5 days, commit to the following:

  • Daily Self-Awareness Exercise: Begin each day by acknowledging one of your core values and how you'll embody it.

  • Surrender Practice: At the end of each day, reflect on something you let go of and how it felt.

  • Intentional Action: Take one deliberate action each day that contributes to your vision of harmony.

By the end of the week, you may start to notice shifts in your perspective.

Try it out, and let me know how it goes!

Fun Corner

Your superpower of choice would be:

A) Time travel—to revisit and enjoy favourite moments.

B) Mind control—to make things go exactly your way.

C) Shape-shifting—to explore different facets of yourself.

D) Teleportation—to be wherever you want instantly.

Let me know which one you pick and WHY :-)

Share Your Thoughts

Do you have experiences or insights about this week’s edition? Hit reply, and let's start a conversation.

How Else I Can Help

I also offer consulting services based on my senior leadership experience and am available for speaking engagements, including events, keynotes, podcasts, and course recordings.

Thanks for reading!

Stay Connected

Reply

or to participate.