Yo! You? How's Your Yoyuu? Abundance, Meaning, Time and Energy

Yoyuu is a Japanese term I came across recently through the wanderings of Craig Mod. It doesn't have a direct English translation, which makes this trickier (and I am absolutely not pretending to be an expert here); but also gives us a great opportunity to play with the varied depths of meaning at play.

I shared my interpretation with a group of senior leaders on a recent residential leadership development programme, and it's been bouncing around my head ever since. Especially as I try to spend more time in a kind of deliberately aimless wandering that seems to allow more ideas to spark into life. Conscious Bimbling* might be a good term for it. I've even developed an aquatic version where I don't really swim or tread water, it's somewhere in-between.

*I claim 10% of all profits if that becomes a Podcast or TED talk.

The Simpler Version: Can You Afford To?

With thanks to a great article by Marci Kobayashi, the first meaning that resonated with me was in the context of time and energy. Not having the Yoyuu for something might range from a simple practical case of not being able to afford it or having a diary clash right through not feeling that your battery is charged enough, or even a deeper sense of not being drawn to something, some place or someone.

This alone can be a powerful tool for the overwhelmed leader of today: noticing why something feels unappealing, draining or uncomfortable is a brilliant step towards asking yourself why you are still doing that thing in the first place. What if you let go of it?

Reminds me of a bad joke. A man goes to the doctor and says "every time I do this with my arm, it hurts". The doctor says "well, stop doing it then".

Anyway, back in the obviously more serious business of feeling a bit more in control of your week, your to-do list and the impact you'd love to have if you just had more time and energy...

The Deeper Version: Choosing How to Spend It

If we look at this more broadly, and try to wrap it round the true complexity of life, work and everything in-between that everyone is juggling, it starts to become more about abundance and meaning.

Yes, sometimes you just can't afford something or don't have the time. That's OK, and this isn't about taking the express train to Burnout City because you are trying to do everything all at once, all the time, for everyone.

One result of the Yoyuu already invested in your chosen career path, field of expertise, life skills and general experiences is that there will be things you find pretty easy. Things others approach you for guidance on. Things you maybe even find a little frustrating to see others still learning (I'm sure my Dad felt this teaching me to drive, because he said so).

That might be your first abundance of Yoyuu: expertise. You get to choose how to spend it. Would mentoring others bring you fulfilment? Could you grow a meaningful business or non-profit in sharing what you've learned? Might that reignite your passion for your field?

Perhaps time and money (and their endless balancing relationship) are where you could reassess the credit and debit columns of your Yoyuu account. Many people I coach are at a life stage where working long hours, high stress and selfless problem-solving have become their business card - but the notion that there might be a different way to live starts to become impossible to ignore.

In this scenario, you may well have built up an abundance (of money, expertise, energy, skills, connections), but now find that the outlet or outcome for that abundance isn't aligned the way it used to be.

This change is natural and it's human. You can't avoid it. None of us can. Ignoring it is what causes negative outcomes. Embracing it and actively choosing where to target your Yoyuu is the path to creating more of it.