Are You a Human Being or a Human Doing?

Gurel Sahin

A certainty that I continuously bump up against with the diverse group of people that cross my path is the awareness and desire to establish a healthy way to live. A healthy happier way to conduct business and a personal life that is, well personal. What has been made resoundingly clear in my talent coaching years is that Human Beings have become Human Doings that have forgotten they have the power of choice.

The lynch pin that has inadvertently increased this dilemma is technology. With technology now deeply rooted into most of our personal lives, how we choose to utilize it to “enhance” our lives or how do we learn when to unplug? How does one say, no more email or social media activity? Generally, I think it comes about to a few core questions:

How often do you really need to be online, texting?
If I were better organized, would I eliminate redundancy, be saving time?
What actions am I doing that have set a standard of expectations that others respond to?
What time of day do you start? End? Is this really necessary/self imposed? Or, is your ego in the driver’s seat?

Ego, well that is an entire different piece of writing, but for now; we will say this. If you discover in your reflection that you have a need to validate your ego, then ask yourself, “What need is it fulfilling?” Our book, “The Great Connection” (TGC) will help you to understand your behavioral style providing more self insight as to why you do the things you do. Actually, TGC is a profound first step, for anyone at a self-reflection stage of life, to best understand her/himself. The rest of the ego conversation we will leave for now.

As a continuous improvement Lean practitioner and human development professional, I’ve implemented this way of thinking into my business and personal life and have become a Human Being again. Continuous (process) improvement is always reflecting with how could we more efficiently manage our current state with the foresight of how we want to grow forward. How we manage to sustain and to grow forward is OUR choice, in which we seemingly so easily give the reins to another for one or two or more out of a bucket of possible reasons. But the fact remains, we are our own driver and the situations we find ourselves in are not without our permission. Taking ownership of how we became a Human Doing is the first step to returning to a Human Being.

Returning to your original state of a Human Being is a process that will occur in degrees solely dependent on your thoughts becoming ideas becoming conversations converted to consistent actions. For example, “How often to you really need to be online, texting? Do you really need to be walking through the parking lot, driving your vehicle reading your phone? Or while in line placing an order? Interrupting time with actual people to maintain a texting conversation? The list is endless because it depends on how you’ve chosen to provide access into your life. Ah, yes, access to your daily life.

Our response times have inadvertently generated a snowball effect of an “expected” immediacy of response regardless of time of day. This area may be the easiest way to start regaining your Human Being status. A possible initial step in that direction could be, not looking at any of your devices during the night, before 6:00 am or after 9:00 pm.

This topic can be somewhat endless given the numerous scenarios, but the common denominator is you, your behavior, your actions. How do you want to enable a better quality of life, living as a Human Being and shedding that which does not serve you as a Human Doing.

The solutions are as creative and diverse as our beautiful population of people. Always remember, you do have the power of choice, the power of free will and your changes will happen. Your changes will occur in small degrees ceasing the snow ball effect returning you to a healthier happier Human Being.