How are you being?

No one asks that. But a bazillion people ask ‘How are you doing?’ It’s not accidental that one greeting is ubiquitous and the other is non-existent. And that fact points to a problem.

We live in a hyper ‘doing’ culture where our self-worth is wrapped up in what we do, achieve, or accomplish. “You’re either a champ or a chump,” the father of a coaching client would always tell him. No wonder he was in a cycle of self-destructive perfectionism. To some extent we all are.

It’s telling that there’s a sudden interest in resilience, like the working world just discovered that happy hours and parties are not the key to reducing workplace stress. There are countless articles on how to rest (Here’s my favorite). We frickin’ need to be taught how to rest! What does that say about the culture we inhabit?

I had to laugh recently. I was walking down the street in NYC and walked by a clinic called ‘Hyper Wellness.” I don’t know what they do in there, but whoever named it I think missed the point.

How are you being today?

Leadership