Context over Contradiction!

When it comes to lifestyle and living better, the personal development space, thought leaders, brands and trends are all over the place. I have been observing a lot and in this era of an open market place (Social Media) it is loud, noisy and anyone can be an expert, sigh… Contradiction seems to be the “hook” in marketing, but is it really helping others in a positive and growth oriented way?

There is so much good information out there, and inherently, I believe people sharing it have good intentions, at least many do. There is however, this trend of contradicting any statements, beliefs and theories, mainly to grab attention as opposed to creating a viable solution and putting things into perspective. There are so many content areas and topics that I am seeing “Don’t do This” or “This is Wrong” which to me, only adds to the confusion and disruption in this space—I believe we can find that “happy medium”. Lets take a look at a few schools of thought….. I will be expanding this summer on all of these topics on the Podcast this Summer.

Happiness

Happiness and Positive Thinking, is it Toxic or is it Healthy?

My answer is this, it is both and we need to better define the context and also protect the importance of positivity, mindset and how we can embrace it to fuel our life and experiences.

Hard Work

Some say Work Hard, Hustle and Push Push Push, while others talk about Flow, Rest and the power in Pause.

We know hard work is important, but where do we draw the line and how do we sustain this lifestyle. My answer is that it is not black and white and that both hard work and rest are important to establish in a healthy lifestyle. Here is the key, some people need to hear work harder, and need that push, while some people (Type A) need to hear, slow down, be present, rest, restore and just be.

Balance

Some will say there is no such thing, and many women and moms in leadership roles have thrown balance into the realm of not possible which adds to the expectations that we put on ourselves and each other, since when did Balance become a bad word. Having done the work hard/play hard, raise the family, be out of balance, try and restore balance and also try and have a family centered life my thought is that “Balance” is something we must bring back, and it is a healthy strategy to building a better life and one that supports the whole human experience. Balance does not mean we are always “balanced”, building balance into our lives is helping us be aware of what is important to us, taking care of ourselves in mind/body/spirit and prioritizing our schedule and life around our value system.

Excellence

There are some experts in the Personal Growth space that teach excellence, which in theory can increase performance in life or work. The problem with this approach is that Excellence can often be misinterpreted for Perfection and when we works towards Perfection and look for the Perfect and think as a Perfectionist, we set ourselves and those around us for failure and unrealistic ways of living. Certainly there are some stages in life or seasons for Excellence, but excellence as a way of life I think can do more damage than good. I would want to replace Excellence with Empowerment—which is a positive, forward momentum that helps us build confidence, belief, trust and emotional well being and safety in all we endeavor. Would you rather have your kids be excellent or would you prefer they be and feel empowered in their life?

Progress

Progress over Perfection—this is the theme in Living HIPP, it is never about perfection and is always about progress.

Black & white, right & wrong, this linear thinking can create more problems than positive change. Life is not linear, it is a scramble, a back and forth, a dance, a winding road, a step forward and a step back, as such, our spirit and approach to life should have that same flexibility and buoyancy. Ideally we expand, and in this expansion we grow, we open up and we create more space for better living. Likewise, we contract, inevitably we will contract based on our own doing or the circumstances out of our control. This is all part of the process, this is how we learn, this is how we grow. When we expect Perfection we are often disappointed and feel like a failure or not good enough because we did not achieve something or things did not turn out the way we planned or wished or expected. Life is always teaching us, and we learn that other things are mean’t for us and some things are just not meant for us.

So perhaps if we break down each topic, we don’t necessarily need to contradict and perhaps we better understand the context of each topic and how it depends on the person, on the circumstance, the season they are in and the personality type or environment they are in. Each topic here will be addressed this summer on the Podcast, Living HIPP—so that we can curate a plan that best supports us in the season we are in. None of this is “one size fits all”, our life plan, strategy, daily schedule and practices are on going and are created (and should be curated) based on our own personal needs and desires, that is what is most important. In addition to that, to have it impact the world around us and each other in a positive way is the key. We are better together!