Tranquilo

Words are so fascinating. Yesterday I learned two new words from two different cultures that spoke volumes.

I stumbled upon a recent article in the The Economist about workplace stress around the world. There were some staggering statistics about the cost of work-related stress in America citing that it accounted for between $125 billion and $190 billion in health-care costs annually. In Britain, it wasn’t much better with numbers saying 43% of all working days lost there were due to ill-health because of stress-related conditions.

Here is where I learned that Japan was considering the idea of forcing employees to take more of the vacation they are entitled to in order to avoid karoshi. Karoshi is the word for death from overwork.

Wow. There is a word for death by overwork.

I’m at an International Living Conference in Costa Rica. Over and over again I am hearing stories of expats who have moved to Costa Rica. They speak of the excellent healthcare, the farmer’s markets, beautiful views and being outside. Costa Rica has one of the worlds Blue Zones where people reach the age 100 at 10 times the average rate.

“Costa Rica enjoys a higher life expectancy than many developed countries despite spending just 15% of what America does on health care.”

And they speak of tranquillo. Tranquilo means stay calm (tranquil) or relaxed. This is a place of tight, connected communities, fresh food, a deep connection to nature and sun. These qualities all certainly contribute to tranquilo.

These two words seem to capture the two contrasts. Is work something that feels like it will actually cause death? Or can we cultivate an attitude of tranquilo. How much of either of these is a condition of the exterior environment of our culture, whether that be the national culture or the office culture, and how much of it is something that is held within our minds and hearts.

I’ve certainly created conditions in my mind where I though I was going to die from overwork. The stress had gotten to a level that was just beyond what I could manage. And I’ve also had times when crazy things were happening on a construction site and I was able to be tranquilo.

It’s a fascinating thing to begin to look at the relationship between inside and outside. How one condition can become the lens for the other. How you can make choices about how much you will allow one to affect the other.

Can you be curious this week? Can you see where there might be karoshi or tranquilo in your life? Can you name why and how each is cultivated and really abide in your own ability to make a choice?

All the best friends. Sending tranquilo.