The buzz-term of the moment is “bring your whole self to work” – but what is the true impact of this? Fiona Buckland from The School of Life challenged this idea at our breakfast roundtable.
Striking the balance between ‘work’ and ‘personal’ begins with the power of ‘self’ and conversations we have; with others or oneself. ‘Conversation menus’ were given out to ignite the discussion, featuring a quote by Theodore Zeldin: “Conversation is shared, reciprocal nourishment that enables humans to create and exchange trust, wisdom, courage and friendship.”
The morning’s message revolved around ‘acceptance’ and ‘self care’. Buckland compared physical and mental pain: “As a nation, we don’t have acceptance of failure. If you break your arm, you would accept that it’ll take a few weeks to heal. If you fail at something, you’ll probably mentally punish yourself, and harbour the pain.”
So, how can we heal our minds and change our outlooks going forward?
“See curveballs as opportunities, let them stick, and own them,” said Buckland. Putting a positive spin on a situation and treating it as “character building” can be helpful. Another way is to check-in regularly on your personal values and remain true to yourself. You stand a greater chance of self-acceptance – and a deeper, happier relationship with yourself – plus the acceptance of others.