I’m going to start out today’s show by making a generalization. I know I’m not supposed to do that, but I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me. So here goes: "Previous generations were a lot more dedicated to their work and their careers than we are today."

Our parents and grandparents used to talk about “getting your priorities right.” When it came to work, that generally meant sacrificing whatever else might have been going on in your life, to getting ahead. Even if that meant sticking it out at a job you didn’t love while you waited for a promotion. Or even the total disruption of being transferred to another city.

Today, we’re focused on what we call “work/life balance.” “Balance” is the opposite of “priority.” A priority supposes one thing is more important than another. Balance is only achieved when the things being balanced are equal.

Dr. Prudence Farrow Bruns has been way ahead of this game. Since the 1960’s Prudence has dedicated herself to teaching Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it’s widely known, is a form of meditation that draws on roots from Ancient India and is modified to adapt to our modern lives. Dr. Bruns studies the texts of Ancient India to bring the wisdom within them into the 21st Century. Her goal is to help each of us find balance and harmony between our inner spiritual selves and our physical selves. Prudence may have unwittingly been one of the creators of work/life balance.

How we live our lives is to some degree dependent on where we live.

Most of us live in cities or towns. For many years we contrasted these urban collections of buildings with the natural world, which we called “the environment.” The environment was beautiful and unspoiled. The human dwellings we built on top of it were steel, glass, and concrete. Functionality and utility beat out beauty, hands-down, every time.

Today, things are different. Especially up and down our coast here. We make an effort to balance the human and the natural world. We don’t contrast human habitat with the natural world these days. Instead, we talk about “The built and unbuilt environment.” In other words, we’re not trying to conquer nature and subdue it, as much as work with it and embrace it. And we acknowledge that a utilitarian building can also be – and should be – beautiful.

This urban planning philosophy has developed as the result of the visionary design work, teaching, and writing of a school of architects and developers under the banner of New Urbanism. One of the leading proponents and practitioners of this movement is Dhiru Thadani.

Entrepreneur Of The Week

Our Out to Lunch Entrepreneur of the Week is Tricia Veldman. Tricia is a speech coach. She has a company called Powerful and Poised, focused on overcoming humanity’s number one fear: public speaking.

Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Farm & Fire restaurant on Highway 331, overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay. Farm & Fire is one of Chef Jim Shirley’s family of fine restaurants. It’s open from 4pm, 6 days a week, and from 11am for brunch on Sundays.

You can find photos from this show by Brandan Babineaux at outtolunchemeraldcoast.com.

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