Enjoy the Journey

The lines between personal time and work time are blurry for most professionals today. Anyone can work longer and harder to get results, but surviving on super hero energy is not sustainable. Enjoy the Journey is a mantra that encourages people to find and multiply the joy in their jobs so their lives are improving every day. It’s a call to reframe the quest for “work-life balance” for individuals, managers, and mentors who want the people in their workplace to thrive and win together – both personally and professionally.

The best way to measure your joy in life and work is through the Seven Fs: Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Friends, Fun, and Future. When you expand your thinking to include all the Seven Fs, your perspective becomes brighter. Do a quick analysis of your satisfaction in each area using a basic scale of 0 – 10, where 0 = couldn’t be less satisfying and 10 = couldn’t be more satisfying.

Faith: How satisfied are you with your spiritual life?

Family: How satisfied are you with the loved ones with whom you share a common sense of home?

Finances: How satisfied are you that your money funds your priorities?

Fitness: How satisfied are you with the health of your body?

Friends: How satisfied are you with the people who share your joys and disappointments?

Fun: How satisfied are you with the part of life that is playful and joyful?

Future: How satisfied are you with the hope you have for yourself and others?

By identifying your personal satisfaction in the Seven Fs, you see places where you are strong and also where you aspire for more. Rather than trying to “balance” all aspects of your life, consider ways to blend the most important areas to enjoy your journey more fully. A well-rounded blend of personal and professional perspectives in the Seven Fs creates positive momentum in your leadership. When you expand your thinking to include the dimensions of all personal leadership, and also take into account what really matters, your perspective becomes brighter. Plus, you become more emboldened to accomplish great things with less super hero energy.

To improve your ability to Enjoy Your Journey and set others up to Enjoy Their Journey, set aside time to create your Enjoy the Journey approach:

Build a plan to Blend of the Seven Fs: Review the Seven Fs and look for ways to blend multiple areas to improve your satisfaction in each. Write down your commitments and keep them in a place where you see them, review them, and reflect on them regularly. Share your commitments with a mentor or accountability partner who will keep you accountable to blending your Seven Fs.

Schedule time to reassess your Seven Fs: Select a consistent time every quarter and take one hour to review your Seven Fs and update your blending plan. Do this in a quiet space that encourages deep reflection and minimizes distractions. Turn off your phone and computer notifications for the hour so your thinking is not interrupted. In your Seven Fs planning time, think about these questions so you are prepared to discuss Enjoy the Journey with others:

• The Enjoy the Journey mantra gives me the permission to . . .
• I am finding more fun in my work through . . .
• I am struggling to Enjoy the Journey because . . .
• I am committed to strengthening an Enjoy the Journey culture by. . .

In the last five minutes of the hour, email your mentor or accountability partner to let them know you kept your Seven Fs appointment with yourself. Share one key insight you gained and one commitment you are making for the next quarter. Thank them for being a good mentor or accountability partner.

Engage with other team members in Enjoy the Journey conversations: Each quarter, select three team members with whom you will intentionally have an Enjoy the Journey conversation. Set a 30-minute meeting with each of the team members you have selected for this quarter and use this basic agenda to discuss Enjoy the Journey:

• How are things going for you today? Listen and respond with encouragement and empathy.
• How is your Enjoy the Journey going? What is the mantra giving you permission to do/feel?
• How are you finding more fun in your work? Where/how are you struggling to Enjoy the Journey, if any?
• How can I support you in keeping your Enjoy the Journey commitment with yourself?

Good leaders help others believe in what’s possible and they set the standard for what is acceptable and what’s not. By embracing an Enjoy the Journey mantra, and setting the standard of accountability for blending the Seven Fs, you allow those on your team to believe, behave, and act in ways that blend the critical areas of their life personally and professionally—you are creating an Enjoy the Journey culture.