Catch and Cradle: A New Approach to Fulfillment
On September 22nd, 2009, by
“The daily life satisfaction of women has gone downhill consistently in relation to where they were 40 years ago,” according to Marcus Buckingham, Author and Researcher. That’s a startling statistic that makes me curious. What about you? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being absolutely satisfied, how fulfilled are you in your life?
According to Buckingham, this shocking fact “is true of women in the work force, those not working, those who have kids or don’t, and it’s even true of 12th grade girls.” If this is the case, what’s the answer to fulfillment?!
Buckingham has found that you must find your “strength zone” because its critical to a sense of being valued, efficient and fulfilled. As a life coach, I agree that when you leverage your strengths in your roles of wife, mother, business owner, and woman, you will be more alive and fulfilled as your strengths are engaged and called upon in your daily activities.
There’s a perspective shift that is critical to finding this increased level of purpose and satisfaction. Instead of “juggling” the many tasks of your life, Buckingham suggests you should “catch and cradle”. If you recognize the challenge of life is not to juggle, but instead to catch and select a few clear strong moments from each aspect of your life, you can reach for those and find greater joy.
How do you catch and cradle? Follow these steps by Marcus Buckingham to find a new approach to fulfillment:
- Define the specific moments in your life that renew your energy and bring you joy.
- Go after these moments and imbalance your life toward creating more of these specific moments.
- Learn who you are clearly enough to say “yes” because you want to engage in activities that make you come alive; this is contrary to the traditional “say no”.
- Understand that these moments won’t be the same for your sister, your next-door neighbor or your co-worker.
In this “catch and cradle” approach, Buckingham states “in contrast with manic juggling, there is a deliberate reaching for specific moments to cradle. When you cradle a baby, you concentrate on it, feel its weight, and allow it to move you; you’re very responsive to it. Cradling is a very nurturing position. You’re not grasping it to you; there’s hopefulness to it.”
What do you think ? Share your comments on this new approach to fulfillment.
To discover the role you were born to play, take the Strong Life Test developed by Marcus Buckingham. For more support in changing perspectives and living from your strengths, be sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter.
