The Architecture of Life and Practice

A power point presentation called “The Dash” has been circulating on the internet. You may have come across it recently. I had heard the term before from a friend who was giving a eulogy and referred to the dates of birth and death with life being “the dash” in the middle.

How quickly that brings reflection about my purpose here. How quickly life can pass us by, and how quickly we get lost in society. Most of the time, it is when we are faced with a crisis or life altering experience that we think about these things. Even then, it is often only for a short time and we resume living out our life as it happens. Unless you are willing to give some time to the purpose and plan for your life, it will continue to pass you by.

Our society is full of cookie-cutter houses with cookie-cutter people living in a sea of conformity. Yet we hunger for personal expression and to live a life of purpose. This hungering gets lost in the ho-hum rhythm of our days.

According to an article I read recently in the az-net news, whether we live simple or complex lives, they are made up of three primary components: work, personal, and social. Each of these components must get an equal share of our time in order to maintain balance. When we expend more time and energy in any one area, we have less time and energy for the other two. This leads to imbalance. For example, if work becomes our primary focus, we may be lacking in personal or social time. Only when the whole equalizes can we experience peace.

Work tends to get most of our attention and we readily recall and give attributes based on a person’s vocation in life. We tend to remember people based on their accomplishments in their lifework. We are fascinated with stories of impossible odds that were overcome or creative approaches the person took to get to where they are. It is the architecture of the human spirit that moved them from one room of life to another that peaks our interest.

We are social creatures and tend to identify with others based on their relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. This is where we find commonality and place ourselves in concert with another based on our similar experiences. It is through our social abilities that we strive to fit into society.

Carving out time for personal or spiritual growth is paramount to the expectation of a balanced life. This tends to be the one area we set aside or give up in order to focus on the other two, not realizing the impact it has on our personal achievements. Think of this as creating a sturdy foundation to the building of your life.

If you were created as a building, what sort of structure would you be? Would you blend in with other buildings around you? Would you stand tall or would you be spread out over a large piece of land? How do you personally fit into the culture around you? If you think about it, we build our lives just like a building, one brick or one piece of lumber at a time. The question is, do you have a plan, or a blueprint that incorporates these three primary areas? Are you following your blueprint and striving for balance? Are the rooms in your house / life connected? You are the architect of your life. I challenge you to fill your rooms and hallways with friendships and love.

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.” — Louisa May Alcott

“Truest SUCCESS is but the development of self.” — Charles Atlas

The Schuster Center is a business school for dentists where development of the dental practice aligns with the development of self. It is a lifelong network of like-minded professionals in community and spirit.