Comments on: Living Congruently http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/ Personal Development for Smart People Sat, 09 May 2009 21:45:19 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Adrian Trenholm http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1045 Adrian Trenholm Wed, 23 Feb 2005 23:14:09 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1045 Exactly: some people practise values in their personal lives, but they will do anything for a buck at work. Work is separate to them, not just on an organisational level, but on a values level as well. Your principle of congruency allows for the separation of work and personal for management purposes, but at the values level, there is no distinction between what you do in your personal life and what you do for money. I agree with you completely: no matter how you segments your activities, if you want to be at peace, your values must permeate every area of your life. Exactly: some people practise values in their personal lives, but they will do anything for a buck at work. Work is separate to them, not just on an organisational level, but on a values level as well. Your principle of congruency allows for the separation of work and personal for management purposes, but at the values level, there is no distinction between what you do in your personal life and what you do for money.

I agree with you completely: no matter how you segments your activities, if you want to be at peace, your values must permeate every area of your life.

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1040 Steve Pavlina Wed, 23 Feb 2005 18:53:54 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1040 You still have individual tasks and projects in each area. Nothing wrong with that. I'm referring to the high-level compartmentalization that causes us to behave incongruently, such as working for a company whose actions violate what your conscience tells you. You still have individual tasks and projects in each area. Nothing wrong with that. I’m referring to the high-level compartmentalization that causes us to behave incongruently, such as working for a company whose actions violate what your conscience tells you.

]]> By: Adrian Trenholm http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1039 Adrian Trenholm Wed, 23 Feb 2005 18:46:14 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1039 I can see the sense in what you are saying, but I think you have to compartmentalise things in order to make progress in any of the compartments. It's purely a management thing. Each compartment forms part of the whole portfolio of projects which is your life. If you apply David Allen's GTD system, each compartment will have tasks and each task will have a context. When you look at all your tasks contextually, that will give you a view of your life which pulls together your different compartments, enabling you to live congruently. Your value system is not a compartment, but the rules of engagement, if you will. Your values need to be applied at a high level as you thik about the compartments / projects in your life and also at a low level each time you take action at this very mundane daily task level. I can see the sense in what you are saying, but I think you have to compartmentalise things in order to make progress in any of the compartments. It’s purely a management thing. Each compartment forms part of the whole portfolio of projects which is your life.

If you apply David Allen’s GTD system, each compartment will have tasks and each task will have a context. When you look at all your tasks contextually, that will give you a view of your life which pulls together your different compartments, enabling you to live congruently.

Your value system is not a compartment, but the rules of engagement, if you will. Your values need to be applied at a high level as you thik about the compartments / projects in your life and also at a low level each time you take action at this very mundane daily task level.

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1019 Steve Pavlina Tue, 22 Feb 2005 15:04:41 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1019 When I work on this business, it helps me grow, which in turn makes me a better husband. When I spend time with my wife, it strengthens my ability to run this business. Working on one area is aligned with the others. There's no compartmentalization where the rules are different for each area. Since Erin and I both work from our own home offices each day, we spend a tremendous amount of time together every single day. Yesterday she had a tricky technical problem with her web site which I helped her fix, and she proofread about 6,000 words of new material I wrote and told me what was really good and what "wasn't my best work." About half of our workday was spent together. Although we each have our own missions, they're aligned, so we live and work synergistically. We're spouses, teammates, and best friends. The line between living and working is also blurred. If I get up and just do what I love to do, it also happens to be my work. I can go have a deep conversation with Erin, and that may become the basis of a new article or blog entry. If I get feedback about something I wrote, it may give me a new distinction that helps improve my relationship. It's all connected. But this type of extreme closeness isn't necessary to avoid compartmentalization. The main idea is to get everything aligned such that conflicts are avoided. For example, you want to be sure that working to advance your career isn't hurting your health or your relationship. Wouldn't it be nice if career advancement actually improved all the other areas of your life? That's congruency. When I work on this business, it helps me grow, which in turn makes me a better husband. When I spend time with my wife, it strengthens my ability to run this business. Working on one area is aligned with the others. There’s no compartmentalization where the rules are different for each area.

Since Erin and I both work from our own home offices each day, we spend a tremendous amount of time together every single day. Yesterday she had a tricky technical problem with her web site which I helped her fix, and she proofread about 6,000 words of new material I wrote and told me what was really good and what “wasn’t my best work.” About half of our workday was spent together. Although we each have our own missions, they’re aligned, so we live and work synergistically. We’re spouses, teammates, and best friends.

The line between living and working is also blurred. If I get up and just do what I love to do, it also happens to be my work. I can go have a deep conversation with Erin, and that may become the basis of a new article or blog entry. If I get feedback about something I wrote, it may give me a new distinction that helps improve my relationship. It’s all connected.

But this type of extreme closeness isn’t necessary to avoid compartmentalization. The main idea is to get everything aligned such that conflicts are avoided. For example, you want to be sure that working to advance your career isn’t hurting your health or your relationship. Wouldn’t it be nice if career advancement actually improved all the other areas of your life? That’s congruency.

]]> By: Infox http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1018 Infox Tue, 22 Feb 2005 13:01:07 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1018 Suppose all I want is to browse the web and read blogs all day. I don't want anything else. What am I then supposed to do? Get a job as a company blog reader? LOL! Suppose all I want is to browse the web and read blogs all day. I don’t want anything else.

What am I then supposed to do?

Get a job as a company blog reader?

LOL!

]]> By: John http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1017 John Tue, 22 Feb 2005 10:30:41 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1017 I think your post is very abstract and i have difficulties to understand it. Your have to naturally compartmentalize some areas of your life. When you work, you can't pass time with your spouse etc.. When you think, you don't act etc... Or maybe you want to say that if you don't like an area in your life, it's impacts on all others. I understand your text like this... I think your post is very abstract and i have difficulties to understand it.

Your have to naturally compartmentalize some areas of your life. When you work, you can’t pass time with your spouse etc.. When you think, you don’t act etc…

Or maybe you want to say that if you don’t like an area in your life, it’s impacts on all others. I understand your text like this…

]]> By: Jethro http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1009 Jethro Mon, 21 Feb 2005 20:18:48 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1009 This is gold, Steve! GOLD!!! :) The only problem is that I've already forgotten about what you wrote about a week ago. (What's my purpose?... Oh yeah! I need to keep focusing on that.) Although I really like the variety of topics you are discussing, maybe, just as an experiment, you can try a weekly topic and only post articles related to that topic for that week. This is just a suggestion. You might already have your own plan in the works for tying everything together down the road. This is gold, Steve! GOLD!!! :)

The only problem is that I’ve already forgotten about what you wrote about a week ago. (What’s my purpose?… Oh yeah! I need to keep focusing on that.)

Although I really like the variety of topics you are discussing, maybe, just as an experiment, you can try a weekly topic and only post articles related to that topic for that week.

This is just a suggestion. You might already have your own plan in the works for tying everything together down the road.

]]> By: Michael Le http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1008 Michael Le Mon, 21 Feb 2005 19:40:28 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1008 Great post, very very helpful! I did feel a little "seperated" in my areas of life and this post was perfect in its timing. Great post, very very helpful! I did feel a little “seperated” in my areas of life and this post was perfect in its timing.

]]> By: Tim http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1006 Tim Mon, 21 Feb 2005 19:36:30 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1006 Steve, Well thought! This is definitely a paradigm I will be integrating into my thought process Steve,

Well thought! This is definitely a paradigm I will be integrating into my thought process

]]> By: James http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/comment-page-1/#comment-1005 James Mon, 21 Feb 2005 19:28:59 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/02/living-congruently/#comment-1005 Congruence is a very powerful concept. Thanks for the words of wisdom. JAmes Congruence is a very powerful concept. Thanks for the words of wisdom. JAmes

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