Enjoying Work & Life: Stop and Smell the Azaleas

Today's guest blog post is written by our board member, Andy Brantley.  Andy is President and CEO of CUPA-HR.

When was the last time you were involved in an event or activity that caused you to look around and think, “I am so fortunate to be here?” To be honest, I never really thought about this very much until recently.

A few “I am so fortunate to be here” moments for me during the last several months:

• Getting to hike in and out of the Grand Canyon with one of my sons;
• Hiking in Zion National Park (and experiencing one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen);
• Seeing hundreds of wild azaleas in bloom during a hike to Gregory's Bald in the Smoky Mountains;
• Running along the shore of a local lake as the morning fog lifted;
• Spending time with friends and family on my screened porch;
• Successfully finishing an intense P90X plyometrics workout without feeling like I was going to throw up;
• Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the move of the CUPA-HR national office from DC to Knoxville;
• Participating in this year's Association Leadership Program with CUPA-HR's national, regional and chapter leaders from across the country;
• Seeing CUPA-HR's new learning framework “come to life” through the programming for the upcoming annual conference in Las Vegas;
• Having a friend and colleague tell me how much CUPA-HR has impacted her personally and professionally.

I could list a few more examples, but the point for me is that I am trying to do a better job of enjoying and embracing important moments at and away from work. The event or activity does not have to be as “grand” as hiking the Grand Canyon. The point is that we stop the speeding train that is our life long enough to acknowledge and enjoy the ride!

We HR types have talked about work/life balance for years, but for me it's not as much work/life balance as it is a commitment to enjoying the things I do at and away from work. Not every portion of my work role is enjoyable (being stuck in an airport for hours) and not every part of my life away from work is enjoyable (my house is always clean, but I hate housecleaning). But I can tell you that I approach every day with a “my cup is AT LEAST half full” attitude and that I continue my quest for those “I am so fortunate to be here” moments. I challenge you to come up with your own list of “I am so fortunate to be here” moments from the last few months and to commit to continuing to seek more of these moments every single day.