Give as much as you can (within reason)

Giving is a beautiful way of serving yourself and others. Benedict of Nursia (400 A.D.) gave the following definition for power: ‘power is the freedom to serve’. Alternatively you could say the following: having money gives you the freedom to serve. Money brings lots of possibilities. Chances to support others, to create things with others, to help the weak, to build a healthy future together with the new generations.

Safe as much as you can (within reason)

If you know what ‘enough money’ is to you, and if you earn as much as you can (within reason/in a healthy way), then you can safe a lot of it! Just, why would one safe any though? Well, it seems to be something natural. Saving and creating stocks is a perfectly normal phenomenon in nature. To survive the ‘winter’ you need to be able to safe up.

Earn as much as you can (within reason)

The credo is, ‘earn as much money as you can, given your unique skills and experience – but within reason’. John Wesley motivated his friends and students to work in a more professional manner. He taught them to get better and better in what it is they are good at, and to make more and more money while doing so. Not to become greedy, but to be able to provide well for their family, and to contribute to society. This principle is just as valuable now, as it was all those centuries ago. Besides, we are returning to a time that people have to take responsibilities themselves a lot more again. Because of the changing markets, more and more people are going to be running their own little company (just like 250 years ago), instead of being employed.

Money: What is enough?

The funny thing with money is that it often seems like you never have quite enough. When I was 18, and went to college, I could make ends meet with 400 gulden a month. When I was 21 I got married, I was still at college, but it was hard to make ends meet with 700 gulden a month (which – by the way – really was rather little). Then I started to work as an architect and suddenly I had 1500 mark (since I worked in Germany) to spend each month. That went well for some months. But our spending had changed too. So, within a year we seemed to be barely making ends meet with 1500 mark a month. When I was 40 I earned a whole lot more, but (you probably know where this is heading) again it seemed it was barely enough. Obviously changing circumstances, like awesome kids, a house etc, play an important part in such stories. Fact remains, money seems to be always slipping away. And if you are not aware of your income and expenses it might look like you are being robbed all the time.

Resilience and healthy finance

Money is like time, if you do not organize it well you never have enough of it. Besides it seems the more money: the more worries. And the less money, also: the more worries!

Once the walls of Ninive were so huge and wide that three war-chariots could ride it next to each other. Ninive was truly an unconquerable city. During daytime tens of thousands slaves worked on the wall, to repair it and to increase it. At night the slaves were chained to the wall. So, they were quite literally chained to the wall for life! Who were these slaves? About 50% of them were people that Ninive had captured from its enemies. The other 50% were people that used to be citizens of the city! As a citizen of Ninive, if you were in debt and you did not pay your debt in time, you were forced to become a ‘slave of the wall’. And if that was not enough in order to pay off your debt, then your entire family had to share your fate. It gets even worse. Even if you ‘paid off’ your debts after years of hardship, you could not regain your freedom. Once a slave, you remained a slave for life!

How to develop Antifragility?

As we have seen in the previous blog, challenges are essential to grow in resilience. Nassim Nicholas Taleb argues (in his book: ‘Antifragile’) that this is a vital mentality. The big question then is: how do you develop it?

Healthy challenges are a must if you want to stay healthy!

Norbert, a good friend from Germany had to choose a career-path after his degree in Business Administration. His personality-strengths all lay within the conscientious area (quality, clarity, good at analyzing, best working undisturbed), and the stable area (harmonious, good at listening, loyal, supportive, and in need of a lot of security and stability). Given this insight it would make most sense to find a calm, steady, risk-free, and not too adventurous job. But Norbert went for a challenge. He consciously went for a challenge, to develop himself further, and to keep on growing in a healthy way. He started to work for an import-export company that trades limber between Germany and the Ukraine. A rather chaotic, instable and risky job! Lots of wispy working-times, lots of people that come seriously late for their appointments (if they come at all), and a lot more vodka than you would want to!

Yet, what happened to Norbert? During his time in this company his resilience grew rapidly, and with it his attractiveness. To the extend that one of our female consultants discovered what a cool guy he really is. They got married, and they have two great kids now...

Connect with the actual needs of a specific market

The market is growing and changing ever faster. For nearly every one of us it is becoming increasingly important to think about (some of) the following questions:

• What is my unique way of contributing, and to whom?
• Why would someone choose my expertise?
• Why would a company want to acquire me with my unique set of skills and experience?
• Why would the ‘internal clients’ within our company need my service?

The times that we all could work somewhere and that ‘they’ would take care of you and your development are in the past. That’s ok! We are all independent people, and no victims. It is exactly this attitude that we need to change our surroundings, to modify, and to work in a structural environment. In an environment that serves us as an energy resource.

How to remain passionate at work?

At this very moment I am sitting in a train, and I am on my way to a customer. Tomorrow we will be working on a new product for his firm. I have just finished reading through various documents to prepare myself for tomorrow, and I have already started creating a first concept. Creating concepts always gives me a boost of energy. For a big part this comes from being able to employ one of my core-skills. That gives lots of energy! But there is another element that plays a big part here: I am doing something really meaningful (at least in my personal perception). That perception also really gives a lot of energy. I am trying to serve my customers the best I can. Which enables them to serve their customers better and better. Which contributes to the quality of life for everyone involved.

What is my motivating environment?

We have already taken a look at skills, as one of the 4 elements. This week we will discuss the second element: a motivating environment. Daniel Pink describes it as: a space within which you experience autonomy.’ It also implies that everybody has his very own unique ‘motivating environment’. Some need a lot of space, freedom and variety in their job, and prefer not to be controlled. While others need a clear framework and clear instructions, so that they know exactly what it is that is expected from them and what the task at hand is.

Happy jobcrafting!

In the previous blog I have introduced the concept of jobcrafting, and the four elements that play an important role here:

1. Skills

2. Motivating environment

3. Meaning and inspiration

4. Needs within a specific market

Structural energy resources

Next to the 7 personal resilience competences and the social energy resources the structural energy resources play an important role concerning the development of a resilient work- and life-style. There are three aspects in regard of these structural energy resources, and we will take a closer look at each of them in the following weeks. These three aspects are actually also three areas in which one can really have influence by making some small changes.

1. A positive, fitting and stimulating working-place

2. Plenty of challenge to stay resilient

3. Healthy finances

Resilience & family

Steven Spielberg (66) joins his family for each diner at 6.30pm. He has already done so for 19 years now. His wife made this deal with him when he was about to start off with his new Studios ‘Dreamworks’. Next to being home for dinner, he also agreed to bring the kids to school in the mornings, and to spend most of the weekend with his family…