Changing the world (without killing yourself)
I am convinced that many of us can accomplish more with our lives than we are currently accomplishing. Life is most fulfilling when it is, well, full and when we make it about more than just ourselves. We come alive when we find our niche for making a difference in the world and serving humanity.
It is amazing how easy it is to convince ourselves that we don't have time to do more with our lives. And yet, for many of us, if we were to monitor our time spent watching TV and surfing the internet, I think we'd quickly realise that that's a very weak argument! We need to find something we are passionate about, something that compels us to act, and then go for it.
Most of us do have time to do more with our lives. And if we go about it the right way, we don't have to kill ourselves and end up burnout whilst we try to change the world.
I get involved with lots of things. I have a full time job, I run a volunteer based non-profit organisation, I help lead a faith community, and I work with a mentoring network, investing in and training up-and-coming leaders. What can I say? I get bored easily!
Lots of people ask how I manage to do it all and wonder how I find time to sleep and rest. And yet, the truth is that I don't feel too busy or burnt out at all. I still find myself having plenty of time for relaxation with friends and family as well as time for play, both of which I value very highly.
How is this possible? I'm sure there are lots of reasons, but here's a few thoughts, reflecting primarily on my role with the non-profit I founded and oversee.
Firstly, I don't make anything all about me or dependent on me. I work with lots of great people who I trust implicitly to take responsibility and make happen what needs to happen. Crazy as it sounds, I could walk away from the non-profit I lead for six months and be totally confident that everything will continue well without me.
Obviously, I'd like to think that I still have an important role to play! And, in terms of that role, I see it as being about three things: 1) championing and protecting our ethos as an organisation, 2) helping new projects get started, and 3) thinking about and moving us towards future goals. But, with the events and projects that we already have up and running, it could all now totally function without me. And I think that's healthy.
Lesson: Don't be a control freak!
Secondly, I'm not a perfectionist. I prefer the vibe of raw beauty over excellence. An event or project doesn't have to be perfect to be successful. For me, meeting great people and making new connections is of far higher value than everything going exactly to plan in the details of an event. It also means I don't spend half my life fretting about minor details.
Don't get me wrong, doing something well is really important. Details do matter. But the pursuit of perfection can consume so much of our lives and not even necessarily make an event or project that much more successful. People matter most.
Lesson: Prioritise people over perfection.
Thirdly, everything I get involved with is fully integrated into my life as a whole. I wrote recently about the values and worldview that shape everything I do. This plays a big part in making sure that everything I am doing with my life is connected and not disjointed. When everything that we do is tied to deeply held values and our life's mission, then it is never draining. It can be tiring of course, but it'll always be invigorating.
Burnout is rarely triggered by how much we're doing; it is connected to what we're doing. When what we do is out of sync with who we are and our passions and values then, inevitably, it is going to have a negative effect on us. If we are finding ourselves feeling constantly drained it is more than likely that we're doing the wrong things, not necessarily too many things.
Lesson: Integrate everything you do with your values and worldview.
I guess ultimately, I am passionate about encouraging people to live full, meaningful, and adventurous lives that aim to make a difference in the world. And yet so often people think that they're too busy or don't have the time or money. I am convinced though that it is possible to accomplish more with our lives without us having to lose the many important 'normal' things in life.
They'll be sacrifices of course. There always are when we choose to see and serve a world beyond ourselves. But we don't have to turn our back on family and friends or have no time to rest and relax whilst choosing to embrace opportunities to accomplish more with our lives and make a difference in the world.
Yes, if we go about it the right way, we really can change the world without killing ourselves. Why settle for living ordinary lives when we have the capacity to live extraordinary ones?
- What are you passionate about?
- Are there charities, non-profits, or organisations that fit your passions and values that you could volunteer for?
- What do you want your life to be remembered for?
- If you're a parent, how can you make your life an adventure that your family can be part of?
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As a parent, I like to include my kids in my volunteer role whenever possible by using some of the messages or resources I help create to teach them. My husband and I also include them in traveling and meeting the people involved in our non-profit's projects.
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