The Through-line
Who are you, really? Your answer may depend on whether you are thinking in a “career” or “personal” context.
Previous generations often aimed to keep the two separate. There was the work-self and the home-self. The linkage between the two was weak, and we didn’t consider how one affected the other. We left work problems at work and home problems at home.
But that approach can leave us feeling hollow in both places. The healthier path is not to toggle back and forth but to step back and see them as manifestations of the same human: you.
Rather than finding “work-life balance,” we can uncover the deep connections between our personal and work selves. We can identify the values and passions that link them. And we can see how these two modes are in fact deeply intertwined, one constantly affecting the other.
I was honored to receive a testimonial from one of my coaching clients, Eric Dorsey, SVP at McKinley Companies, that pointed to this dynamic: “What sets Sherif apart is his ability to draw the through-line between performance in your career and performance in every other part of your life — your health, your relationships, your inner world. That integration is where the real growth happens.”
The word integration is a good one. Rather than balancing “work” and “life,” it’s possible to understand how they are integrated. You start to view yourself not as a person split in two but as a single unified human.
Is there a through-line between your professional and personal lives that you are ignoring? If so, how can you use that knowledge to become a more integrated person, at work and at home?
Until next time, Sherif