Tag Archives: play

Your Life As A Variety Show

by on January 21, 2005 in Career, Creative, Life

The idea of creating balance in our lives is a popular one, but for the most part, I think it is unsustainable and unrealistic. It’s not a balancing act between just two variables of "work" and "life" – it’s far more complex than that. Rather than a teeter-totter image, think about a circus performer who tries to balance themselves on top of a giant ball. The ball can go in any direction and it takes an immense amount of concentration and energy to remain centered on top.

But, there are other models for us to consider.

It used to be that TV had solid lineups of variety shows. Remember Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, and Jack Benny? What about Sonny and Cher and the Muppets? What made them great and interesting was that you always had a wide selection of entertainment. There was usually some singing, some comedy, and some stunts (like guys jugggling chainsaws on fire) in each episode. The different acts kept the show engaging and viewers wondering what would come next.

What would happen if we think of our lives as a variety show with each of our roles as different acts? Each day’s episode can contain…
professional acts – ladies and gentlemen, look as he puts out fires with his bare hands


parent acts – watch as he solves multiple interpersonal conflicts with the greatest of ease


friend acts – observe as he enjoys a dinner with people he loves

and the possibilities are endless…

Don’t be afraid to add variety to your life. If your day is dominated by professional acts, think about ways to squeeze in some other acts. Watching the same act over and over gets boring not only to the folks around you, but to you, as well.

More Myths of Creativity

by on December 13, 2004 in Career, Creative, Work

In the December issue of Fast Company, there’s a thought-provoking article on Teresa Amabile who has researched and compiled six myths about creativity in the modern organization. From experience, she’s dead on with most of these myths.

Her third myth, “Time Pressure Fuels Creativity”, points to what I think is a more systemic problem plaguing not only work, but life as well. We allow ourselves to be busy for no other reason than it offers status. We own “busyness” like a badge of honor. Why? Perhaps its because if we slow down, we might actually have time to reflect on who we are and where our life is heading. In this case, the actual act of reflection isn’t the terrifying part…it’s what we fear we’ll find as a result. Consider this recent essay in Harper’s Magazine by Mark Slouka which extols the virtues of idleness. He talks about the slow disintegration of a democratically-literate society, but could easily be addressing the same disintegration of a soulful, conscious individual.

I would also like to add a seventh myth: Creativity Can Be Managed. Many organizations love their streamlined processes, their rational objectives, their linear methodologies for execution. But creativity thrives on chaos. It thrives on those mysterious connections that only come from improvisation and sudden inspiration. The very thought that the creative process can be controlled and managed is an illusion. The faster an organization gives up this idea, the faster they will encourage groundbreaking, world-changing results.

I’m Back – Global Work/Life Comparisons (Not What You Might Think)

by on November 9, 2004 in Career, Life

I’m back after a short hiatus to fancy up the blog design. For those few souls out there who read this blog, any thoughts?

NOP World just launched its Culture Score ™ Index, an interesting statistical survey of work/life balance throughout the world. Not surprisingly, Sweden came out on top as the most “balanced” with China right below it. Also, not surprising are the countries most focused on the “work” end of the equation: Korea, Hong Kong, Turkey, India, and Singapore round out the top five.

What is surprising is the fact that the employed respondents in the US spent more time at “play” (41.7 hours per week) than at “work” (38.3 hours per week). Perhaps I’m not interpreting the data correctly, but this seems to contradict some of the anecdotal data that makes it into our popular culture and media. Are those of us in the States living toward a better way of integrating our various work and personal roles?