Marianne Aerni
How do you want to spend your waking hours?
The past 20 months rattled many of our life choices.
On a professional level we may have been asking ourselves: is this really the work I want to spend most of my waking hours doing? Is this an organisation that I want to devote my energy and spirit to? Are these the people I want to interact with and support with my whole being?
On a personal level, have I dared to ask myself what happiness would look like for me? What role do I want to play for the greater good? Where do I belong? Do I know who I am?
In short, we are out of the zone and are trying to find our way back. This disengagement is impacting our workplaces, with 48% of America's working population actively job searching or watching for opportunities, as a new Gallup analysis finds.
What is ‘the zone’ and why is it important?
At the core of who we are as human beings, we find two key components: our being and our doing.
Our being represents our values, feelings and beliefs: the things in our hearts, our internal compass
Our doing stands for our actions, words and behaviours: how we express ourselves to the outside world.
When these two worlds come together, our words, actions and behaviours reflect our values, who we are in our core. We are in the zone: the space where happiness and high performance co-exist. We feel energised, engaged, fully present, focused on the task at hand — and able to generate incredible results.
Neuroscience tells us (McKinsey & Company) that when we experience ‘being in the zone’, or ‘in flow’, we knock out our prefrontal cortex and literally quieten our inner critic. This lets us take more chances. We are less concerned about what other people think, and are more true to ourselves, our views and our insights. Our self confidence increases. We can process more information at a faster speed.
In studies with executives, the ability to deliberately operate from the zone has been shown to increase productivity by 500%. Imagine what you could do with that turbo-boost in all areas of your life!
How to get yourself (back) in the zone:
First step is finding (back to) your values. If you’re wondering about what we mean by values, we like this definition: “My values are my lifestyle priorities and preferences that express how I choose to live my life.”
The following 5 steps are a start to finding out what your values are and acting on them:
1) Notice what you are passionate about
What fires you up? What gets you out of bed on a cold morning, or stirs you during a dinner conversation?
2) Think about what makes you shine
Recall the moments in your life when you felt at your very best. What was happening, who was there, how were you feeling?
3) Understand what takes you out of the zone
What frustrates you? What drives you crazy? Makes you angry? What drains your energy?
4) Discover your top 5 core values
Based on the answers above, what themes do you recognise? What values can you identify?
5) Bring those values to life
There’s no getting into the zone without action. Start small: what can you do right now, or tomorrow, or this week to bring your values to life? As you’re trying it out, notice what is opening up for you? What is starting to shift? How does it make you feel?
Would you like to continue this exploration with us? Reach out to hello@thezone.co !