“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside finds harmony.” – Carl Jung
I tend to interact with a lot of different people both virtually and in person. Something that I find fairly consistently is that most people have a desire to find a harmonious balance between the work that they do and the life that they lead.
Some are cynical about it and really don’t believe that it is possible. They are resigned to the fact that work is just supposed to suck the life out of you until it is time to retire and then life will be fun.
Others, myself included, don’t buy into that ideology. To believe that we are only here to work our asses off just to get a paycheck and hate life along the way sounds like a terrible way to live.
So if it isn’t a pipe dream, how do you find that harmony? It starts with you first.
You will need to discover inner harmony first. Inner harmony is when you have a sense of peace and balance within yourself. You’re not constantly pulled in different directions by your thoughts, feelings, or the opinions of others. You know who you are and what you want in life, and you’re not swayed by outside influences.
In short, you understand your authentic self and only agree to the activities that help you enhance that authenticity and turn down activities that threaten it.
When you have inner harmony, you’re more content and happier. You’re able to stay calm and centered during challenging times, and you don’t let stress or negative emotions take over. You have a strong sense of self-confidence and self-worth, and you’re not easily offended or defensive.
Inner harmony is a state of being where all aspects of your life are in balance. You feel at peace with yourself and your surroundings, and you have a clear sense of purpose. Achieving inner harmony is not easy, but it is well worth the effort.
There are several different ways you can achieve inner harmony, but let’s talk about how I found it. First, I discovered my authentic self (my ikigai) and developed a strong sense of self-awareness. This required me to be honest with myself, and accept both my strengths and weaknesses.
Then I needed to learn to live in the present moment. Too often, I would allow my thoughts to wander into the past or the future and neglect what is happening right in front of me. When I started to remain in the present while appreciating the journey of moving ever closer to my authentic self, this is where I found inner harmony.
I make this sound really easy, but it was far from it. In order for me to have a hope of being able to discover inner harmony, I had to have the courage to stand up on the inside and believe in myself. Something that I used to have a really hard time with.
Many people picture courage as a heroic quality that allows people to do extraordinary things in the face of danger or difficulty, like a warrior leading his army into battle. However, courage is not just reserved for those who take on physical challenges or put themselves in harm’s way.
It can also be exhibited when someone stands up for their beliefs, confronts their fears, or takes on a difficult task like discovering work:life harmony.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it.” – Mark Twain
Courage is the ability to do what you know is right, in spite of your fears. Courage is not a one-time event. It’s a habit that you have to develop over time. Anyone can develop courage, you only need to believe it can be true for you and start working on it.
If you are thinking to yourself as you are reading this that you’d like to learn more about how to build this work:life harmony that I keep talking about. Send me a PM, I have a new coaching group starting soon and would love to have you become a part of it.
#innerharmony #worklifeharmony #ikigai #courage
Steve Beauchamp 