nothing is mandatory.

On the latest session of my ‘From Mindfuck to Mindfulness' online group coaching program there was a really interesting conversation. A great team came together. We got a lot of inspiration from each other.

The topic of time and energy management was discussed on the first occasion. I tried to demonstrate how crazy and performance-oriented the world we live in, where people treat themselves as machines that can work non-stop. Downtime is not a bug, it is a feature for humans.

We need to recognize that if we don't communicate our own limits, no one will take them into account. There are many factors that we do not control, but we need to focus on those that are in our circle of concern. Only then can we break free from the endless rat race.

At the end of each group coaching session, there is a closing circle where participants reflect on the topic and share what they take with them into the wilderness.

I really liked that one of the group members highlighted the recognition that I gave at the very beginning when clarifying the framework by reassuring everyone that "nothing is mandatory" - you can easily pass on any participation or question during the program.

It was so unprecedented for her that there is such an environment where it is enough to say "I pass."

Many feel trapped, working in a place where overtime is a basic expectation and feel like they have no choice.

I remember feeling that way too. The idea that I had no choice, that I had to sacrifice my life on the altar of work every day, was extremely burdensome, and it provided a great breeding ground for my anxiety attacks.

But the topic did not leave me alone, and I twisted and turned it until I got to the point where it was not mandatory either. Obviously, I couldn't get out of the situation overnight, but I didn't give up hope.

Except for taxes and death, nothing is really mandatory. Think it through!

(Although Silicon Valley billionaires are challenging even these. They have already solved the first one, and now they are working on the second one.)

Journal promts:

How could you get out of a suffocating, hopeless situation? What should you say no to? What have you thought was mandatory, but with some consideration, you can realize that it isn't?

Write it down for yourself and make a list of them in your journal. It will be a good start to change things around you.