4_mat Review Of "The One-Life Solution" Book Review Samples

Summary

In his book, Cloud demonstrates that establishing physical, emotional, mental and spiritual boundaries at the workplace is very helpful and also important in starting and sustaining a successful, happy, fulfilling and rewarding career (Cloud, 2011).

Essential Foundations for Boundaries

One of the essential foundations for setting boundaries is identifying the problem. The book argues the reason the personal lives of many individuals are overrun by careers is the failure to establish boundaries between the two important aspects of one’s life. It is important to understand that establishing boundaries offers a structure in one’s life, thereby enabling the effective separation of the personal aspects from the professional aspects of life. Besides identifying the problem, it is also important have the strength to follow up on the boundaries established. The book argues that individual quiver in their boundaries because they lack the strength to sustain the boundaries (Cloud, 2011).

Process for Rebuilding Boundaries

After identifying the problems, and thereby creating the necessary foundations for establishing boundaries, the process through which one rebuilds their boundaries starts with an audit of life. An audit is important to determine where boundaries are lacking and where the existing boundaries are not honored. This audit should also identify the individuals and situations that cause you to break the boundaries. This is important in order to focus on these areas when rebuilding boundaries. Cloud argues that one should negotiate “no-choice’ situations in order to have more control over their time, especially when these no-choice” situations eat into ones personal time. Finally, it is important to communicate boundaries to others and make your intentions to honor the boundaries clear (Cloud, 2011).

Aspects of Boundaries on the Job

Cloud identifies six key elements of boundaries at the workplace. One of the elements identified in the book is ownership. This relates to who is responsible for ensuring that the boundaries are established and honored. The other element highlighted in the book is control as it relates to who can establish the boundaries. The other element of boundaries is freedom as it relates to determining the amount of time and energy that one can invest in a given activity. Responsibility as it relates to who suffers the consequences in the case of failure and limits as they relate to the beginning and ending of various aspects of life are the two other elements highlighted in the book. Finally, Cloud highlights the importance of protection as it relates to preventing the negatives from certain spheres of life from intruding on other spheres (Cloud, 2011).

Concrete Responses

In reading this book, several episodes from my life came flocking in my mind. I recall that as a young child, my father was away from the home on the account of his job requirements. It made sense at the time because we needed the money for school, home mortgages and car loan among other expenses. My mother did not have a steady job, and as such did not have a reliable income. The family unit relied on what my father made from his many days away from home. Besides the monthly salary, the assignments away from home helped bring in more income. With time, my father’s absence was almost routine and custom. There were eerie moments of silence whenever my father came home, as if we did not know how to relate anymore. As a growing child, I did not comprehend much at the time. However, when I think in retrospect, the family unit was disintegrating. My parents were pulling apart, and it was not long before the rifts were very apparent. I also remember feeling bad when he did not attend most of my school activities such as my recitals, games and class events. As an older person now, I have a better relationship with my mother than I have with my father. Even if I am old enough to understand why my father had to go away, and that we had a better life thanks to his sacrifice, I still cannot get over the fact that my father was not around when I was growing. I can confide in my mum whenever I have problems or issues I cannot navigate. I can sincerely claim that my mother is one of my best friends. I still look to my father for guidance in certain situations, and he is home now that he is retired, but I still feel that we lost too much valuable time, and this has retarded our relationship (Cloud, 2011).

Reflections

The perspectives held by Cloud are insightful. It is true that many people’s lives are overrun by their professional lives. This takes time from the other spheres of life. I can confirm this from my experiences, as I have already highlighted. My questions regarding this book are influenced by my retrospection in why my father was away most of the times. Cloud argues that many people do not establish boundaries because they are afraid of losing their jobs. He recommends that one should leverage their employees by maintaining a sizeable emergency fund. In this way, one is not afraid of losing their jobs (Cloud, 2011). My problem with this proposition is that it is not universally applicable. The socioeconomic status of many people does not allow them to meet their needs, let alone maintain a sizeable emergency fund. I do not think this recommendation is possible for such an individual. This is not to negate the importance of work-life balance. Among other things, it ensures sustained productivity. However, sometimes economic conditions dictate otherwise and people are unable to meet their obligations without compromising on family time. Additionally, I contest Clouds arguments that there are no “no-choice” situations (Cloud, 2011).I often empathize with the families of military officers. They have to contend with the absence of their family members, especially when these family members are deployed far away from home. For instance, many military officers in the armed forces of the United States of America have been deployed on tours of duty I Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of these deployments last for elongated periods of time. They are under orders and as such, have no choice. It is irrational to expect these officers to maintain such boundaries, especially when the reprisals for disobedience of direct orders amount to punitive discharges or confinement. Nonetheless, I agree with Cloud that these boundaries are important. I may not resent my father for being absent when I was growing, only because I now understand what forced his hand. However, I still agree that it is important to separate professional life from personal life. The elements of boundaries at work highlighted by Cloud are very insightful. The approach proposed by the author towards rebuilding boundaries is very practical because it first focuses on the identification of problems. As a result, the outcomes are sustainable (Cloud, 2011).

Application

Even though I have contested some of the perspectives of the author, I have no doubt that the general perspectives of the book are important. The family unit suffers most when there is no separation between the professional and private life. It is imperative to prevent the family from suffering on the account of professional responsibilities. This is due to the fact that at the day's end when the job is over, one always goes back to the family (Cloud, 2011). When negotiating for a job, one should be keen to establish the job requirements and evaluate how they relate to the boundaries one has established. Compliance with these boundaries requires that one eliminates those jobs that encroach on personal life. This is especially for young job seekers who do not have many commitments that require that they settle for any paying job (Cloud, 2011). With regard to my life, I will be very careful when looking for a job. Even though I do not resent my father for being away when I was growing, it is not my desire to be away from my family. In order to appreciate the importance of boundaries, I am going to separate my school life from my personal life with my friends and family. Firstly, I will keep a diary of all my obligations in school and the time required. From this diary, I will allocate time for schoolwork and ensure that I religiously stick to these boundaries. This will enable me to build the discipline for when I look for a job (Cloud, 2011).

Reference

Cloud, H. (2011). The one-life solution: Reclaim your personal life while achieving greater professional success. New York: Harper Business.