September 8, 2011
Uncommoners, if someone asked you to tell them about yourself, what would your first response be? If you’re like most people, you start by sharing what type of job you have. This makes sense in a way; we spend a good portion of our time at work and the income that these activities generate has a direct bearing on the type of lifestyle that we can have. I like and enjoy working and I think that having something productive to do provides more benefits than just financing eating and living indoors. Having something to do gives people a reason to get up in the morning and successfully completing tasks fosters a feeling of accomplishment, so it’s no wonder that many of us think of that part of our lives first when asked to share something about who we are. You Are (Much) More Than How You Make a Living When you think about yourself, your work is only a small part of the total equation. You can also define yourself by your relationships; for example, you could describe yourself as a spouse, a partner, parent, sibling, son, daughter, friend, etc. All of these terms are accurate and provide information about you and where you fit into the world, but it’s still not the whole story.
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September 1, 2011
As Uncommoners, we want to be able to experience all the good things that life has to offer: meaningful and fulfilling work, good relationships with friends and loved ones, good health, etc. In a perfect world, all of these elements would line up perfectly and we would have perfect harmony in all areas. Unfortunately our reality doesn’t include ponies and rainbows all the time and since we spend a lot of our time at work, it becomes a big focus of our attention. Not only that, but pressures and stressors from our work lives have a tendency to invade other facets of our existence. Many of us have felt struck in a job that we dislike (or even hate) and find that this one part of our existence makes it more challenging to enjoy other parts of our life. While changing jobs is something that people do more often now than in previous generations (and not always due to their own choice in the matter), it may not be a viable option for someone who needs to focus on how they are going to make ends meet. Ideally, living an Uncommon Life means that we are focused on living with meaning and purpose, and you can still do that even if your current employment is less than satisfactory. You may not be able to change…
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