Article # 28 WORK
Elaine and I were in a vacation place marketed as a restorative escape from the hustle and bustle of life. Looking over the outdoor venue it was clear to see the compartmentalization of the new culture created by technology and now accelerated by the COVID pandemic. The world of work has significantly changed – perhaps permanently. Since we can now utilize technology to work from anywhere, there is a segment of the workforce who quite simply do. It was easy to see the demarcation lines with some people tapping away at laptops and other electronics, working while they waved to family members in between ocean wave swells. (There might be a new cottage industry to clear out sand and salt from electronic devices.) Another group was fully engaged and fully focused upon getting a complete escape and having the time of their lives. No technology needed.
VENUE CHANGE
A friend asked me to recommend a place in Colorado to stream fly fish for trout. A business colleague was coming into town and wanted to invest a day on the water. Turns out another partner in the firm wanted to come along to capture footage on film using her iPhone. I was their UBER and worked out access to a private fly-fishing resort. They were all excited when I picked them up. I gave them each a bottle of water and a 1,000-milligram tablet of Tums. I recommended they drink the water until it was all gone and eat the tablet while I drove into the mountains. Altitude sickness is real, and dehydration is common. Eating a Tums tablet takes excess acid out of their systems reducing the risk of altitude sickness. As we drove, I kept a close eye on them as we were traveling. Our outdoor excursion would take us well over 9,000 feet above sea level. I also told them that very soon we would lose all communication capability as we drove through the canyons. No phone and no internet let alone any Wi-Fi. Their excitement became frowns of worry. How am I going to upload all the footage I am capturing? What if someone gets hurt? How do we contact 911? The entire idea of being in a phone and internet dead zone for an entire day was somewhere between unpleasant and horrifying.
YOU’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE. WELCOME TO THE WILDERNESS OF THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS
Since this entire area of your Soul Roadmap has been rerouted by technology it requires some creative thinking. I have two thoughts, both workable and healthy. First thought, the rigid compartmentalization of life says; “work is work and belongs in its own space and therefore recreation is sacred not to be invaded at any time.” This is one method of accomplishing this work area of your Soul Roadmap, compartmentalization. It is a matter of focused concentration. The scene toward the end of the film Devil Wears Prada when the character played by Anne Hathaway looks at her loudly ringing phone. With the ring tone of her over-the-top type A boss blaring, she simply tosses the phone directly into the nearby fountain. Take that, you horrible boss of that toxic job. You have now been deleted! I am no longer a slave to the immediacy of your needs. I have my own space back. A second thought would be a full integration of the new world of work but creating some personal boundaries within the working world. Here are a couple of examples from our work as soul guides.
One success story is a communications and branding expert who owns his own imaging company, Lightbringer Imaging. I hardly ever see him without his equipment. The shot below if from his gallery. He was not “working” when he took this shot. It became part of his work by happenstance. I asked him if he ever actually powers down. His response was insightful. He has what he calls SARAH TIME. This is time for his beloved, when she receives full attention from him with no distractions. This is a fully integrated life with personal boundaries for sanity and health and, dare I say, romance.
Gallery Photo from Lightbringer Imaging
Here is a second story for even more clarity. We have a relationship with a very accomplished project manager. He “retired” on a package from his employer then discovered he still needed the challenge of the commercial world. His integration boundary is purely economic. Above a certain amount of income his income tax rate essentially goes to 100%. He is effectively working to fund the federal, state and local governments. Below that threshold he is in a 35% tax bracket. So, he only works a certain number of days. His clients know of his boundaries and therefore prioritize his work to maximize his benefit to them. Effective healthy boundaries integrate the new tech world into the work world without losing sanity.
Our culture is running headlong into an unknown zone in this work area of your Soul Roadmap. We would suggest a complete personal values-oriented redesign, reengineering of this area of life. Being proactive here is essential to navigating the current cultural shifts and the ability to effectively manage what is coming next.