How can you maintain a holiday halo?

[metamorph]

I am on holidays. Great! Been off for more than a week, and I feel just awesome. Although I did not travel, many everyday problems are just out of my mind, my inner voice is very quiet, and I have tremendous self-esteem. I feel internally at like 9-10/10.

So essentially it is like last year's vacation. But, I remember last year, this halo essentially got lost during the first day of work and my inner potential dropped to an average of 6-7/10. Stress, problems, inner critic, ego all reappeared. The main difference for me is that during vacation I can be fully aware of myself and my inner voice, but during my very busy working day, this awareness drops and my mind is very occupied with various tasks.

My question: Is true inner peace and harmony really possible in the real (working) world? I mean Buddha lived like a hermit for many years, Eckhard Tolle sat on a park bench for 20 years without job and friends,but happy and fully aware Aren't these guys cheating? Can you really be fully at peace and full of inner harmony in the real world (e.g. baby cries all night, wife is cheating on you, stress at work, lost money etc)?

[viscapes]

Hey metamorph

I hate going back to work after a holiday. The worst thing is knowing that in a day or so I'll be "back to normal", following the same old routine and running at a 6-7/10 like you say.

The conclusion I've drawn from this, rightly or wrongly, is that I want to be self-employed. I think the thing that bothers me most is the lack of control over deciding what I do and when. I enjoy my job relatively speaking, and I like who I work with, but something inside me is screaming every time I have to ask my boss if it's ok to leave early cos I need to pick my daughter up from school, or if I have to miss out on some family event because of work commitments that someone else has given me.

Personally, I don't think that's a natural state of affairs and I put my discomfort down to the fact that I'm enlightened enough to recognise that and I'm using those feelings to spur me on to achieve a better quality of life.

I suspect we're not the only ones who feel this way.

Cheers
Paul

[moriez]

Originally Posted by metamorph

Can you really be fully at peace and full of inner harmony in the real world (e.g. baby cries all night, wife is cheating on you, stress at work, lost money etc)?

Ive been asking myself that same question a while ago and for me personally the answer is no. Especially at work where people tell you what to do and being around often very different (clashing) personalities. Both restricting/suffocating the normal behaviour. Full peace is not yet achieved but when I am by myself and away from it all I do have some of those moments, just moments..

As how to maintain a holiday halo, I wish I had the answer my friend. Let me know if you found it

[Jarrod]

Identify what are the internal differences between when you are on holidays and when you are at work.

If you make these the same then you will feel the same I would bet.

If I were to guess, when at work you have a lot of thoughts about stuff you have to do in a hurry or their will be consequences. Or various other pressures of work that you worry about.

You have to work at removing all the internal differences. Is it hard? YES!!!

Constant effort and observation required.

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by metamorph

Is true inner peace and harmony really possible in the real (working) world? <snip> Can you really be fully at peace and full of inner harmony in the real world (e.g. baby cries all night, wife is cheating on you, stress at work, lost money etc)?

I've been able to achieve this by using work, kids, relationships -- LIFE -- as my dharma, or practice. Using each instance to look within and find my truth. Practicing unconditional love. Practicing being present. (That's a biggie!) It is do-able.

But I do not work at a job I don't like. I have created my life to be the life I want... and I'm still working out the details! Going deeper.

I love Wherever You Go, There You Are and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. They both talk about presence and peace in the "real world". Oh! And the first book I read in that vein after the birth of my first son, Chop Wood, Carry Water. It's been ages since I read that one, but I just remember the feeling of relief after I read it - "It is possible!" Books and writings by the spiritual teachers you mentioned also talk about presence in the real world - because presence is presence, no matter where you are - it's just a little harder to translate sometimes.

[metamorph]

Thank you, all, for your replies.

Well, I am back at work and it is better than before.

Originally Posted by Jarrod

Identify what are the internal differences between when you are on holidays and when you are at work.

If you make these the same then you will feel the same I would bet.

You have to work at removing all the internal differences. Is it hard? YES!!!

Constant effort and observation required.

Absolutely! I came to the conclusion "stress" is the main difference between holidays and work. Stress reveals the dark side in you Unfortunately, I have an inherintly very stressful job. Once I realised this my new plan or goal is this:
Identify stress patterns! When does stress occur and what triggers it? How can I learn from it and reduce it in the future? If I cannot reduce it how can I modify my behaviour. My new paradigm is to be absolutely committed to maintain harmony, dignity and class however stressful it gets or with whoever I am confronted with. I use my lunch break to review my morning at work and try to restore awareness if necessary. I will review stress patterns that occured and write them down and review them regularly.

It takes quite a lot of work, but I am absolutely committed to change the way I act, think and feel when I am under pressure.

I will keep you posted how I thrive. So far I am really at ease

[Jarrod]

That sounds like an awesome approach metamorph.

I used to work in customer service for a large toy retailer who (especially around christmas) were understaffed and had a number of other issues that made meeting customer requirements basically impossible. Parents looking for presents for kids...

This caused me so much pain for years until I started going all out throwing away any thoughts and emotions related to stress.

I can't remember exactly how long it was but it would have been atleast a year (while working on other areas of my life to) before I could consistently go to work with a smile and know I wouldn't be stressed.

The truth is you never have to be stressed but getting to that level takes a lot of work.

Good luck and lots of strength to you.

[viscapes]

Originally Posted by metamorph

I will keep you posted how I thrive. So far I am really at ease

That's fantastic. I love the language too - "I will keep posted how I thrive". Given that you fully expect to thrive I'm sure you certainly will.

Nice one!