The Peace of the Morning
There is no better time, at least
for the HR Doctor, to be at peace, to be productive and to
feel connected to the world than very early in the morning.
This time is known to my military friends as "BMNT" -
Beginning Morning Nautical Twilight. The sun is not up yet and
the weather is cool (especially if you live in Florida!). The
world is waking up and you can be a part of it.
It
is a time when the HR Dog, Kamala, and I go for long walks. We
are less interrupted in our communing by the sound of large
trucks, annoyingly loud motorcycles and other peace
disrupters. It is in effect a non-technical version of
noise-canceling headphones.
Each of us consciously or
unconsciously finds a time during our day when we feel the
most productive. For some insomniac friends, that may be in
the still of the middle of the night. For many people, this
time coincides with work hours. For teenagers, it is highly
unlikely to occur before a long weekend hibernation period of
sleeping in. Whatever this time of greatest peace and
productivity is for each individual, it is a time not to be
squandered.
Use
that special time to cultivate creativity, joy and health. Use
it as a time to be doing some form of exercise. The HR Doctor
suggests daily, increasingly aggressive walks with a friend
such as Kamala. Use it as a time of quiet contemplation or as
a time to organize your thoughts and actions for the rest of
the day or week ahead. Avoid watching that precious time go
down the gaping drain hole opened by too much television,
video gaming or any particular activity that may not put you
at peace.
It
is also a quiet time to think about how to say thank you to
people at work and at home - such as the wonderful HR
Spouse Charlotte - who make your life easier or your work
more successful and enjoyable. It can be a time for mental Tai
Chi in which you seek to improve your balance and experience
being closer to nature. Of course, it is extremely difficult
to be "close to nature" when you are in a highly urbanized,
cement-filled, crowded environment such as that which is
emerging in South Florida. Even if you live there instead of
in Californias Yosemite Valley, or near Glacier National Park
in Montana, time like "BMNT" or its evening counterpart
"EENT" - End of Evening Nautical Twilight, should be
deliberately sought out.
Find that time for quiet
reflection and at a time that is best for you. Deliberately
kick out of your brain during this time: things like CNN, the
thought of a long commute to work, balancing a checkbook,
surviving the latest onslaught by some auditor or other
disruptive influence.
Its true that the HR Doctor is a
child of the 1960s and occasionally utters words like
meditation, peace or joy. However, over the years this author
has learned that to be your best requires finding quiet
reflective opportunities for balancing. It is increasingly
hard to do that. You cant be at your best unless you are at
peace with yourself Ñ at least not on any sustained
basis.
So,
as this article is dictated early in the morning after a walk
with Kamala, even with the HR Doctors hyper-busy week ahead,
the immediate future seems quieter and more enjoyable already.
The busier you think you are, the more important it is to find
time for peaceful, thoughtful reflection.
All
the best,
Phil Rosenberg
The HR
Doctor
http://www.hrdr.net/
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