Doing Versus Being

If you want something done – ask the busiest woman in the room. Society rewards women who get the job done with raises and new business opportunities. And the more you do, the more you are, right? Maybe not.

“When did doing take precedence over being? At what point did we stop feeling in favor of achieving?” asks author and The Empowerment Weekly Editor Elena Moreno.

This rings true for so many women striving to do good with their careers and their lives. But, “when every minute is scheduled, there are no surprises, days become predictable routines of managed events… day after day like a never ending video loop,” says Moreno, who recently advised one of her students to “Do less. Be more.” Perhaps the real measure of success is the fullness of life, rather than how much is accomplished.

Interested in more?

“I am what I am,” says Erich Fromm in his book The Art of Being. He encourages pursuing true self-awareness beyond simple political, ideological and religious agendas and separating ourselves from our possessions and routines in order to find our true selves.

Understanding Our Mind offers ways to train our mind consciousness through mindfulness. Author Thich Nhat Hanh compares the mind to a field with different kinds of seeds – seeds of suffering, anger, happiness and peace – ultimately suggesting that the quality of life depends on the quality of the seeds.

Bonus PINK Link: Here’s how to be your authentic self at work.

By Cynthia Good

“The way to do is to be.” Lao-Tzu