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August, 2005 Greetings, Welcome to your fr*ee monthly e-newsletter about living the solution...not the problem! Written and published by: Dr. Toby Silverton & Dr. Bev McLagan Sent to subscribers in Canada, U.S., U.K., the Middle East and Asia. Many thanks to everyone who forwards the newsletter on. We grow through your recommendations so please keep up the good work and forward this newsletter to a few friends and colleagues. In This Issue: It’s Tuesday after the August long weekend, the beginning of another work week. I’m asking myself…”did I really stop working over the weekend?” True I managed to stay away from my office, my computer…even my emails, but did I stay away from work? I’m always up super early with the birds (or more precisely with the senior cat needing feeding and meds). Once he’s cared for what do I do…work. I either read for work or write for work (sheepishly admitting that is what I am doing now). There is not a novel to be found by my bedside (not something I’m proud of, but I blame it on 16 years of academia) but there are a stack of books on business and human development (hmm, a hint). I tried over the weekend to think of something “fun” to read – closest I came was an editorial my coach sent me about Lance Armstrong so I’m hoping that counts. Then there was one day, pathetic as it sounds, that I didn’t really have any “tasks” planned, so I could do nothing and I didn’t really know how to settle into that (hmm, another hint). Then there is that little trick of being able to turn off the mind, yeah right! During all those years practicing psychotherapy I noticed that no matter what I was dealing with in my personal life, the next client who walked through the door brought the same issue. It’s still the same, so our high achieving clients with burnout is like the universe giving me a swift slap upside the head and yelling “don’t you get it?” I’m paying attention to the “hints”. I get it. These days, many of our successful clients are dealing with burnout. Lots of different forms of burnout from work/career to relationship. Now I’ve been down the burnout path before, ok I admit more than once. I’m what’s referred to in “burnout lingo” as a longterm burnout – flattering isn’t it? I’m determined never to take this path again. So I’m reading this article about Lance Armstrong, the ultimate peak performer and wondering how doesn’t he burn out? We are wondering about the connection between burnout and peak performance which for many of us seems to be the two poles we bounce between. So, given that, what can we learn from such “mythic” peak performers as Lance Armstrong? How does he do it? The triumph of a 7th victory in the Tour de France after ovecoming cancer with a 50% survival rate. I am struck dumb with awe! I regressed and reverted to “business reading” about burnout. What grabbed my attention was a sentence that read…’peak performance is a model of balance’. Contrary to the myth, peak performers actually understand and practice balance. Far from working till they drop they know how to both work and play to their fullest potential. Yet, common cultural myths would like us to believe that the Peak Performer is an overachieving, singularly driven individual who succeeds at huge costs to him/herself and that health and well-being are not compatible with achievement, success, and creativity. Research into the personality characteristics of peak performers finds that they share some important personality traits. It doesn’t matter whether they were elite athletes, creative geniuses, or corporate giants they are inner directed, proactive and self-caring. Peak performers are found to be healthy, satisfied, and both personally and professionally fulfilled. Seems to me we could all benefit from a page out of their book. At the very time that stress is the leading cause of job absenteeism and nearly one-quarter of Canadians do not take their full vacation entitlement due to work demand and pressure perhaps we should be looking toward these high achieving individuals not for clues on how to achieve more but for a new direction that leads us away from burnout toward peak performance. Have you had experiences in your own life where you have achieved or exceeded your wildest dreams of achievements? Was there a time when you just transcended your own limits? You can use this past experience to inform future peak performance. Just ask yourself a few simple questions:
Thanks for taking the time to share with us. If we write about one of your topics we will send you a free copy of our upcoming e-book about burnout: The Burnout Trap: From Self-Awareness to Self-Renewal. EMAIL US AT coach@livethesolution.com. Warmly Toby & Bev You are free to use material from Live the Solution!® in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution including our website and email link. The copyright notice should read: "By Toby Silverton, PhD. and Bev McLagan, PhD. of Silverton McLagan Coaching. Contact: coach@livethesolution.com. To unsubscribe or change your email address, just go to www.livethesolution.com/lwiezine.html Did you enjoy receiving Live the Solution? If you did, please forward it to your friends and associates. We would like to hear from you, email us your comments and ideas. T: 604-241-0810(PT) or E: coach@livethesolution.com. Visit our website at www.livethesolution.com. |
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