Corporate Magical Thinking

Haven’t we all thought that when this project is over, this deadline is met, this major issue resolved, that we will go back to a “normal” pace, a world free of strife and stress, or at least better that we have at this moment?  I call this corporate magical thinking, where we yearn for that respite that never comes.  It’s hard for us to grasp that old problems will be replaced with new problems, that there will always be something major to accomplish.  It feels too heavy to give up hope of that nirvana of a free day in the office with no major deadlines or difficult situations.

So what do we do about it?   Rather than live for this futuristic dream that never materializes, live more in the moment.  That’s how we live life any way, literally moment by moment.  When we really get into every moment, much of this heaviness dissipates and rarely are the problems as big as our projections.  We start just enjoying what is in front of us and not being that surprised or dismayed by the next thing that falls into our lap.  Most high-level executives completely operate from this mindset and rarely feel overwhelmed for very long.  This doesn’t mean that we don’t all need to take mental and physical breaks from our work, but rather to lose that sense of dread or anxiety that permeates so many of us.  Just take it one moment at a time.