Lessons for living and working

Rob McDonald © 2009 Copyright

Homo Sapiens has been walking the earth for about 200,000 years. In addition we evolved from our very close human ancestor Homo Erectus who existed for about 2 million years. During all that time humans lived in tightly knit groups of anything up to 100 people, who survived by moving around from place to place eating nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit, animals and fish. We were hunter gatherers for an extremely long time and that way of life is deeply embedded in our genes. This is how we are genetically designed to live. It is only in the last few thousand years that agriculture has developed and we have been able to settle down in one place, sow the seeds of our crops and sow the seeds of civilisation.

Because this radical shift away from that hunter gatherer lifestyle has happened so recently, we have not had time to genetically adapt. Although we are living in the 21st century, and we have the internet, Blackberrys and mp3 players, genetically, physically, biologically and emotionally we ARE hunter gatherers.

This explains why we don’t seemlessly fit into the modern world and why there is a prevalence today of stress and depression, social problems, crime, and medical conditions such as allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Why is any of this relevant?

By recognising that all the people who work in your organisation, genetically speaking, are also hunter gatherers, you can learn important lessons about how to give them what they need in order to get their best from them.

Fortunately there are still hunter gatherer tribes in the world today and during the last century much reseach has been done into their way of life.

Exercise

Life was physically much harder for our ancestors than it is for us – walking long distances to find food, building shelter, running after prey, skinning and cutting up prey, digging up roots, climbing trees for nuts, seeds and fruit. We are designed to use our bodies for vigorous physical activity, and when we do we are rewarded with increased serotonin and endorphin levels, making us feel good about ourselves. We had to be physically active to survive. We have descended from people whose bodies rewarded them by giving them a sense of well-being when they were physically active. They are the ones who made it through the tough times. Because of this heritage, if you are not exercising regularly, although you may not realise it, you are effectively under par. Regular exercise is essential for maximising mental clarity, mental strength, optimism, action-orientation, physical energy and of course health. It is a natural gift given to us by evolution and it truly pays to embrace it. As a coach if I had to recommend one action to increase your happiness and effectiveness this would be it. In terms of the workplace, providing subsidised gym membership is one way of encouraging your people to work out.

Mental Hygeine

Hunter gatherers were surrounded by family, extended family, and friends, nearly all the time. Today we are more isolated and spend more time in our own heads. We have more opportunity to dwell on things. It helps enormously to be able to manage the negative thought patterns and negative emotions which all of us experience from time to time. We need to be aware that we are not our thoughts and emotions, that they are a by-product of our minds and bodies and we can choose to simply observe them rather than be carried along by them. We can practice mental hygeine, a simple but powerful skill that can be learned by practising awareness and is important for staying mentally positive through even the toughest times. In the workplace the availability of coaching expertise can help people with this challenge and teach them how to develop this skill.

Diet

If the hunter gatherers ate pies or iced buns no evidence has yet been found. Our ancestor’s carbohydrate intake was extremely low. Of the three food types - protein, fat and carbohydrate - protein and fat are the only ones essential for human life. And evidence is mounting that its not the fat in our diets that is causing obesity and heart disease, it is the huge amounts of unnecessary carbohydrate that we consume every day that our bodies convert to sugar and fat that does the damage. By reducing our intake of carb based foods like bread, potato, pasta and rice and sugary foods and drinks we reduce the blood sugar peaks and troughs that play havoc with our energy levels, insulin levels, our immune systems and our moods. By increasing our intake of omega 3 from fish, and foods like bananas, dates and chicken which contain high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, we help to boost our serotonin levels and hence our feeling of well-being. On a work day we can dramatically boost our energy and become more vigorous and alert by eating only the pre-agricultural foods we have genetically evolved to eat: meat, fish, eggs, nuts, fruit and vegetables. Personally, they are now the only foods I ever consume, and the physical and mental impact has been literally life-changing. Is it worth it? Without question. My cravings for unnatural foods ended a long time ago. For those who are committed to getting the most out of themselves and out of life I would recommend considering eating only the foods that your body has been designed to eat.

Sample meals:

Breakfast - scrambled egg and spinach

Mid-morning - fruit

Lunch - salmon salad (no pasta or rice)

Mid-afternoon - brazil nuts

Evening meal - chicken, onion, broccoli and tomato stir fry (no rice)

Supper - banana fried in olive oil

Human bonds

The hunter gatherers did all their work, rest and play with the same tightly knit group of people that they had always known. They shared the times of plenty and they faced hardship together - disease, hunger, danger and death. They relied on each other for survival. If the group didn't find enough food to eat, especially during winter months, then group members could die. Because of the intensity and variety of the shared experiences, the human bonds were very strong. In the modern world we have more fragmented relationships and are often close to only our immediate family. Given the distractions of modern life even this is problematic. It is becoming increasingly common for people to have no truly close relationships. It is important to maximise our happiness and sense of completeness by nurturing our closest relationships and not to take them for granted, and to proactively maintain a network of friends. In the workplace ways should be found to strengthen the bonds between people. It has been shown that if people have a close friend in the workplace then they are more likely to be emotionally engaged with the work that they do. Each employee's sense of connection and belonging to the organisation should also be nurtured. Hunter gatherer groups were exclusively egalitarian, and employees will respond best to a culture which promotes a close connection between management and non-management and values trust, openness and honesty.

Purpose

The hunter gatherers had one overriding purpose – to find enough food to keep themselves, their loved ones and the group alive. If they failed in this purpose then they would die. They didn’t have a corner shop they could pop down to if they ran out of food. Searching the forest for edible plants or tracking an animal in order to kill it, were fundamental activities for their survival and the survival of those they loved. In times of plenty they only needed to spend two or three days a week finding food. The rest of the time they could engage in leisure with other group members. But that key goal of finding food was ever-present for the whole group. It was one of the fundamental things that bound them together. Just like our ancestors we need goals in order to be galvanised so that we can function at our highest level. We are meant to have a purpose. And like our ancestors we are meant to balance the pursuit of our goals with leisure time and relaxation, something we sometimes forget. In the workplace, in order to help people maximise their contribution, we should be looking for clarity of purpose at both the macro and micro levels. People should have clarity on what their individual goals are, clarity on what the strategy of the company is, and ideally understand the personal vision of the managing director or chief executive. The availability of coaching expertise can help people to clarify their purpose, focus in on what they need to do, and be more energised and effective in achieving their purpose. The coaching process can help the top executive to develop a compelling vision for the company.

Be in the moment

Research of modern-day hunter gatherer tribes has shown that they were happier and lived more in the moment than we do.

Happiness seems to be something that we strive towards, something that we have to work for, its something we’ll get in the future. Why is that? Why does it have to belong in the future? Why do we find it so hard to be happy now?

Most of us are gripped by a compulsion to live almost exclusively through memories of the past and anticipation of the future. The past provides identity and the future  holds the promise of salvation. Both are illusions which we cling onto as an escape from an unsatisfying present. There is an underlying sense of unease just below the surface which gnaws away at us and pulls us away from the present.

We see the future as holding out the possibility of ultimate happiness. One day, when all my plans have come together, when I’ve achieved my dream life, then I will be able to be happy.

It is not uncommon for people to spend their whole life waiting to start living. They want the future so much that they have no interest in the present.

The reason why this is so wrong is because if you think about it, the future and the past are not actually real, they are simply pictures in our heads. The present moment is the only thing that exists. The present moment is all we have ever had and all we will ever have. Your life, your real life that you are living, is made up simply of the present moment. There is nothing else. So if we can’t ever allow ourselves to live in the present moment then we aren't really living.

I’m not suggesting that you abandon your future goals, far from it. Obviously a conception of the future in our minds is necessary to be able to live effectively. But we create so much unhappiness by denying the present moment, by living in the future and by dwelling in the past.

Anxiety and stress are brought on by living too much in the future, anger and sadness by too much past.

When your attention comes into the present moment you feel an awareness, a stillness, a peace. Just practice being the silent observer of the present moment. Stop waiting to be happy. Just be and enjoy being. If your awareness is fully in the present you don’t need to wait for anything.

You can develop your awareness of the present and use it as an anchor, a place where you can keep things in proportion. When we get bad news or are living through a difficult time, sometimes our thoughts fly off to some other place far away from the present moment, where everything is catastrophic. By staying in the present moment we can prevent ourselves catastrophising and we can keep our equilibrium.

Playing a musical instrument, gardening, creating a painting, making a model or doing a jigsaw are all things that can train your mind to let go of the past and the future and be more in the present moment. Try studying the back of your hand intensely for 10 minutes without being distracted, seeing every freckle, every crease, every hair. Do you notice how still your mind becomes when you are totally in the present?

Meditation, in a form as simple as sitting with your eyes closed for 15 minutes can be very effective. Don't try to meditate, don't try to clear your mind, just sit with your eyes closed. Meditation slows down your thoughts and emotions and connects you with that inner, intuitive, creative, wise self that is capable of guiding you flawlessly through life.

By going about our daily tasks with full acceptance of the present moment we can be much more effective. By giving yourself totally to what is in front of you without judging it through the eyes of the past or the future, you bring greater quality and care to whatever you are doing. This way our moment by moment experience of life is richer and more fulfilling and we can achieve more powerful results.

Because by recognising that you and I, genetically speaking, are hunter gatherers, we can learn important lessons about how to make ourselves happier and more effective.

"I have found it REALLY beneficial to bounce all the stuff in my head against someone with no investment in my decisions..."

Zoe Clarke, Owner, 7DayWonder, Spain.

© 2009 Copyright