On a milestone birthday, Lisa Carraway had surgery that put her on her back—literally and figuratively. As if having surgery on her birthday wasn’t enough, she also required a long recovery and was off from work more than any other time in her working life. This was the proverbial wake up call for Lisa, leading to some amazing discoveries about herself and her work-life. (This photo is Lisa with her niece at the local fair.)

Lisa is the Director of Internal Communication for a Swedish data analytics company, Qlik. She helps people tell their stories—and through her time in the high tech and pharmaceutical industries, she has worked with everyone from top-level executives to just-starting-out Millennials, less than half her age.

In this role, she coaches others to share not only their successes, but also their struggles, in order to effectively connect with their audiences. When she was in coaching herself, she learned about ‘tangles’: those places where you get stuck, those things that keep you from achieving your greatest potential.

One of her own tangles was the need for security. It was through her surgery that she learned how to let go and have faith that things will come together. She realized that her greatest source of richness and wealth does not come from career or achievement—at least not as she had conceived of them. Richness and wealth come from being part of something bigger; they come from making a contribution to the world. Now, she is working on ways to contribute to the United Nations Global Goals—and that’s big.

Lisa also learned that the best way to be successful is by collaborating, not competing, across organizations, industries and disciplines. She points out that the etymology of the word competition, from the Latin competere, actually means to strive with—not against—opponents; and that the essence of healthy competition is the goal of mutual excellence. By working together we can all be at our best!

For Lisa, work-life integration is about the natural flow of activity and time. When she can flow from her personal, to her work, and back again, at the times that work best for her, she is best able to contribute to the company and get the most out of her personal life as well. And this makes her more successful all around.

She points to people who actually reduce the number of hours they work, and get more out of them. This can be scary for companies, but organizations are best-served to pay attention to outcomes and objectives—and letting employees manage how to meet them and when to work.

Given the chance to provide advice about work-life, Lisa says this:

• Figure out how you can best apply your strengths to fulfill your own vision. Find the best environment for that. There is no ‘one best’ environment. You have to find the best fit for yourself.
• Assess your priorities and continuously improve your performance.
• Avoid retiring on the job. Keep challenging yourself to develop new skills and build toward new roles.
• Make it a habit to renew yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to create growth and change.
• Pay attention to the way you spend your time. Consider it a gift, like a new form of currency. We each have only so many hours. The way we budget them makes us who we are and dictates our contributions.
• Be grateful for all of your experiences. Share your learning and help others around you.

Ultimately, Lisa says, “Look for what inspires you, and fall in love with as many ideas, places and people as you can. That passion will enable you to fulfill your vision.”

Surgery wasn’t the way Lisa had planned to celebrate a milestone birthday – but it was a milestone opportunity to re-assess, re-imagine, and ultimately fall in love again with all that is part of her future.

(This photo is Lisa in Hawaii, her favorite place in the world, where she goes to recharge.)

Would you like to tell your story? If so, let me know by emailing me at tbrower108@gmail.com. Why? One of the foundations of Bringing Work to Life is abundance: the idea that it is possible to find fulfillment, have it all, and avoid the trade-offs between work and life. After all, work and life aren’t separate things to be placed in containers, but part of an integrated whole of a satisfying life. Another foundation of Bringing Work to Life is the idea of multiple right answers. As we’re all seeking ways to bring work to life – and bring life to work – we can learn from each other’s unique solutions and stories. I’d love to learn about your story!

 Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations.