Drucker stressed on making the most of your leisure time, and of becoming a master or at least an amateur expert at something outside of your work. His vision for a fulfilled life included exercise, time for reading and thinking, teaching and learning, community involvement, time to create a legacy.
Drucker embodied the importance of creating and living a “total life” with diverse interests, relationships, and pursuits; what he called “living in more than one world.” The idea is that when you have a setback in one area—suffering or surviving a layoff, for instance—you can soften the blow by developing other areas of strength and support. You can also add new meaning and dimensions to your life and, by getting involved with activities such as volunteer work, make a difference in the lives of others.
The question is HOW DO YOU CREATE A TOTAL LIFE? Consider the following five key elements as exemplified by Drucker himself:
1. Practicing self-development
Self-development is a major theme throughout Drucker's writings and teachings. “What matters,” he said, “is that the knowledge worker, by the time he or she reaches middle age, has developed and nourished a human being rather than a tax accountant or a hydraulic engineer.” Think about your life, both as it is now and where you'd like to be. Consider not just your work, but also your family, friends, interests, activities, and pursuits. Assess what's working, what's not, and what you might want to add or subtract to create more satisfaction and fulfillment.
By the age of 29, I have realized that although I graduated with a degree in Sports Therapy, I’m better of as a TV News and Sportscaster at the same time a Fashion Entrepreneur (which started out as a hobby for me). I realized that because of my petite size and being a female, I will not appeal as a Sports Therapist hence, I found something more exciting for me to do.
2. Identifying and developing your unique strengths The concept of core competencies may have been created for organizations, but today it applies to individuals as well. Drucker urged people to consciously articulate their own strengths. Consider what's unique about what you do, and in what areas you excel and contribute the most, both at work and outside of work. Focus on those strengths—your own core competencies—and find new ways to value and cultivate them. Odds are you can apply them to a variety of jobs, volunteer positions, and more.
It was to my advantage that by the time I was still in college I became a TV Sportscaster (at the age of 19). Clearly it honed my skills in public relation and communications at the same time an area where I can flaunt my knowledge in Sports Injuries and Management while court side reporting. It was an honor for me to be chosen as the first TV Sportscaster without having to be a major in mass communications (thanks to the people from ABS CBN Sports, GMA NewsTV and UNTV who continuously gives me the opportunity to grow in this field).
3. Creating a parallel or second career
Drucker said, “The purpose of the work on making the future is not to decide what should be done tomorrow, but what should be done today to have a tomorrow.” One unique idea he advocated was creating a “parallel career” in areas such as teaching, writing, or working in nonprofit organizations. He also encouraged developing a second career, often by doing similar work in a significantly different setting—a lawyer, for instance, might move from a traditional law firm to a legal nonprofit dedicated to a personally meaningful cause. While still in your main job, start thinking about your own possibilities for a parallel or second career. Consider how to match your values, experience, and education, and what shifts you might need to make in your life to support such changes.
After 10 years of being a TV Sportscaster and an Events Host, another opportunity came knocking on my door that paved way to the start of my first TV News Casting by the time I was 29. Undeniably, it was another adjustment from sports to news that motivated me to be well versed with what’s going on in the local and international field. It was a lucky break indeed and in between those years, I started a small business in the fashion industry just because it was something that I love to do… and perhaps passion for fashion was something innate in me. Aside from that, I had to feed myself with my love for travel…the very reason why I was urged to travel and experience the world (107 countries and still counting by the age of 29) and the main reason why I’m doing all these travel blogs (and blogs of all sorts).
4. Exercising your generosity
An essential part of living in more than one world, Drucker believed, is displaying a sense of generosity. Here, he said, “…everybody is a leader, everybody is responsible, everybody acts.” Sharing your time and talents by getting involved in volunteerism, social entrepreneurship, and mentoring not only provide opportunities to contribute, but also offer personal benefits, from broadening and deepening your life experience to expanding your circle of friends and colleagues. Think about what happens outside your workplace—in other industries, professions, and walks of life—and consider ways you can exercise your own generosity.
Well, I guess these travel blogs and other blogs that I’m doing says a lot of this c”,) Through my work in the media, fashion and travel industry I’m able to share and inspire people to pursue their dreams (not just one but as many as they can accomplish). If I were to describe myself, I’m proud to be Ms. Independent and Ms. Unstoppable (something that I have always been proud of).
5. Teaching and learning
Education plays a key role in Drucker's vision of a strong, functioning society. He believed that knowledge workers should never stop learning. However, it's up to them, he said, to incorporate continuous learning as a natural part of daily life— deciding what and how they'd like to learn and determining how they'll build in the time. Consider your own priorities for learning, as well as how you learn best—taking classes, reading articles and books, asking or observing others, etc. You might also want to teach. As Drucker acknowledged, “No one learns as much as the person who must teach his subject.”
As my philosophy in life goes: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
If there’s anything more rewarding in life that is to keep challenging yourself to pursue all your dreams and Living a Total Life!
And at this point, I dare you…. c”,)
