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The Goddess Speaks
Sunny Massad
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To keep up in this fast-paced world, try slowing down
LIFE is a gift. Living is what you do with it. Defining life and living on your own terms has profound implications for the quality of your day-to-day experience, both personally and professionally. Committing to living a full and inspired life is a positive force that can produce a sense of purpose, result in high-energy output and ultimately provide you with a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Overcommitting, however, threatens your physical and emotional well-being, disengages you from your authenticity and can drain you of energy and enthusiasm.
There is no question that a new paradigm is vital to insuring a balanced and contented professional life. With the advances of technology, attempts to enjoy life while hustling to earn a living often result in a daunting sense of inadequacy and exhaustion. Demands to get the bills paid on time, the car serviced, the home maintained, the kids off to college and the savings deposited, all while showing up at work looking refreshed and pulled together, can seem insurmountable to even the highest of achievers. One reason for this is that we have been moving much too fast for far too long.
Modern innovations designed to bring expedience to routine work habits and convenience to domestic chores have been instrumental in changing our perception about how much we can get done and in what amount of time. Masterminds in the fields of business, psychology, medicine, science and human potential are discussing how the high-tech innovations that have afforded us instant access to the world's storehouse of information have distorted our perception of time in such a way that we have yet to develop the necessary temperaments to cope.
IF YOU HAVE HAD thoughts like, "I can't seem to keep up no matter how hard I try," "I'm losing my memory," or "I'm too tired to go out and have fun," you might very well be experiencing the classic symptoms of burnout. In a time-obsessed society such as ours, even leisure time needs to be scheduled, or it somehow falls by the wayside while we spend an inordinate time on "to do" lists.
To be truly inspired is to be functioning at your optimum. The paradox is that inspiration requires "downtime" in order to rejuvenate yourself deeply enough to be creative, spontaneous, flexible and energetic, and each of these qualities is necessary to thrive in our fast-paced world of constant change.
So take some time for yourself, do something creative this weekend, start a project that will make your heart sing and move your body so you will have more energy! You will feel more inspired and you will inspire others, as well! If you don't do it, who will?
Sunny Massad is president and founder of the Hawaii Wellness Institute (
www.untherapy.com).
The Goddess Speaks is a feature column by and about women. If you have something to say, write "The Goddess Speaks," 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210,
Honolulu 96813 or e-mail
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