Philosophy

Co-Journeying is a unique approach, combining powerful techniques of coaching and insights and wisdom of mentoring, through companionship, guidance, and support of another.

Co-Journeying is not a new thing. Its practice in essence is quite common and present in our life. We all have one or two life-time companions that accompany us through our journey, listen to us deeply, care for us dearly, and wish our wellbeing immensely.

Co-Journeying approach is associated with scientific foundations, asserting that our happiness, well-being and optimum functioning depend on many simple but profound aspects.

Co-Journeying follows scientific foundation of three philsophies and models:

Supportive Relationships
Wholeness Perception
Positive Focus

Co-Journeying is a unique approach, combining powerful techniques of coaching and insights and wisdom of mentoring, through companionship, guidance, and support of another.

Co-Journeying approach is associated with scientific foundations, asserting that our happiness, well-being and optimum functioning depend on many simple but profound aspects.

Co-Journeying follows scientific foundation of three philsophies and models:

Supportive Relationships
Wholeness Perception
Positive Focus

Supportive Relationships:

Harvard Study of Adult Development (started in 1938), considered as the longest study done ever, tracked 724 men for 85 years, to find out what makes us happy. The profound and quite simple conclusion was that “having good relationships” leads to our health and happiness.

This shows how having companions in life as key to a happy and a healthy life, both in life and at work. Although companionship is referred to friends and friendship, a Co-Journeying experience through a co-journeyer, or a guiding book is believed to have similar effect.

Solo-Journeying Guidebook is a self-leadership manual that supports and sustains those who choose to follow a self-development journey, independently, at their own pace and privacy.

Wholeness Perception:

An empirical study (completed in 2017) seeking to predict the factors that impact our happiness and productivity prove that focusing both on happiness and performance of employees is viable and profitable. The research concluded that happy employees had better work performance, and that having a wholeness perception over their well-being had greater impact on their well-being and productivity.

Employee Wholeness Model is a holistic model to determining and cultivating well-being, both at work and play. It encompasses key factors that predict and serve to well-being and productivity, with an extensive and integral assessment.

Positive Focus:

Hundreds of empirical studies show the positive influence of Mindfulness and its principles. Mindfulness, in simplest words, is the attention and awareness one has on present moment experiences. Research results reveal that people who are good with attention and awareness practices, and have positive attitudes, such as acceptance and resilience skills, display significantly higher levels of health and happiness, both at work and at play. Mindfulness is both a state of awareness, and also meditation practices.

Being mindful, as Jon Kabat-Zinn says, is “Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and in a non-judgmental way.” Mind the Positive philosophy emphasizes the positive dimension of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment experiences, in a non-judgmental and accepting attitude, with the intention to be aware and find positive aspects in it.

Solo-Journeying Guidebook

“Cultivate what’s dear to you,
and find wholeness in life through work and play!”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

We all enrich and grow what’s dear to us in our own ways. For some trainings and workshops are their perfect path for self-development; for some the one-to-one mentoring and coaching journey is the way; while for some the impeccable means for self-growth, self-exploration and self-actualization is a book. Yes, a self-developmental guiding manual. I consider these people being in their Solo-Journey, due to their inclination to independently follow their self-development. They do their inner work on their own. They invest and dedicate themselves into personal introspective work and walk, on their own. Therefore, they are Solo-Journeying, doing solo-work, solo-walk, and solo-journey.

“If you want to go fast, walk alone.
If you want to go far, walk with a Co-Journeyer.
If you want to do both,
The Solo-Journeying Guidebook here awaits.”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

Solo-Journeying Guidebook is a companion to anyone who wants to walk alone, but far, in a solo journey. Through the companionship of a self-leadership manual –Wholeness in Life, Through Work and Play, the solo-journeying person advances in their own pace and privacy. It is a manual, a reference, or a guidebook for self-development. It offers a step-by-step process that takes the person along their path, guiding from what real life is to how they may make the best out of it.

Who is it for?

Anyone from 18 to 100 + years old. 😊

University students that are thinking about and planning their career path
Fresh graduates who have stepped off into real life and searching for career opportunities
Young professionals in their early journey of working and building career
Experienced professionals contemplating a career change, feeling trapped in plateau state
Experienced professionals in need to reawaken their passion for work and career opportunities
Early retirees who seek to stay in the course and put their skills to use.
The life-long-learners who are in search of self-awareness and self-mastery.
The talent recruiters, who want to bring out the hidden potential of their clients.
The line managers, who look for ways to direct their teams and members to success and happiness.

Are you one of those who question life and strive for success and happiness, but feel clueless where to begin? This is what a wise old friend once said about real life: “At school first you take your lessons then take exams. In real life you first take the exams, then get your lessons!” So, you learn your lessons after taking up the challenges, the mistakes, failures, or achievements.

This book “Wholeness in Life, Through Work and Play!” is about what “real life” is and how you may make the best out of it. It is a self-guiding manual for individuals stepping out of their comfort zone into real life, those changing careers and searching for opportunities, and pursuing both success and happiness. It is not about my life story, my achievements, or failures. But it’s about what a real life is, a life that is perceived as whole through both working and playing, and what such life looks like at work and at play. So, this book is to voice and share the experiences, the knowledge, and the wisdom of life I acquired over the years, consolidating them with theoretical basis, scientific experimentations, and real-life examples.

The book “Wholeness in Life, Through Work and Play” is expected to be published end of 2025. Subscribe for updates and posts.

The Wholeness Model

“People at work, the so-called Human Resources, for some, are cost creators.
The contrary, they are problem solvers, value creators, achievement fulfillers.”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

With the Human Relations movement in the 1920s, human factor in workforce gained higher importance. Employers gradually began considering employee motivation. Interest for positivity and positive working atmosphere has become even more important. The impact of happiness and well-being over people’s work performance became more obvious.

Employers and people have realized the value and contribution of people, the so-called human resources (or human capital), and begun giving greater emphasis to their well-being. The highest possible value creation may be possible through investing on the people! Ensuring and supporting their growth and well-being leads to a happier and more profitable working environment. Since then, various happiness-fostering implementations put in practice, to engage and maintain people’s motivation to their work performance.

“Happy people learn better, create better and produce better.”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

The Employee Wholeness Model is the result of an extensive and deep academic research study “Proposal of a New Employee Well-Being Model: Employee Wholeness.” Happy people learn better, create better and produce better. It is based on this philosophy and confirms the “happy-productive worker hypothesis” to be viable. The Wholeness model is a holistic well-being model that emphasizes the impact of people’s well-being on their work performance, and taking in all domains of their life, such as work, play, leisure, family, etc.

“The highest possible value creation may be possible through investing in the people!”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

Every individual like you, regardless of your age, skills, abilities, knowledge and awareness, you add a value to the prosperity of the society you live in. Through sharing expertise and resources, it is everyone’s deepest responsibility to investing in people and making this possible.

“The essence of life is what happens between birth and death.
We better make the best of it.”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

As said, Wholeness is a model of integral and holistic state of well-being that is termed as Employee Wholeness (EW) through results of an academic research. The concept wholeness is rooted on the “whole person” term, which is used in Humanistic psychology, adopting a holistic approach to human existence. The whole person is referred to individuals’ flourishing, being integral unimpaired, and functioning at the optimum level.
The word “whole” is defined as complete, full, not divided or cut into parts or pieces, and is referred to individuals being physically sound and healthy, mentally and emotionally sound (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

A ‘whole person’ is a broad concept that encompasses an unimpaired state of being; bearing an integral self-perception; having positive feelings and balance; leading an engaged and a meaningful course of life; and being in a sense of fulfillment through achievements and good relationships at all life domains.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!”
– Aristotle

According to Holism, Gestalt Psychology and Systems theory, systems function as a whole. Different parts of a system –physical, biological, mental, or economical, they need to be viewed as a whole. We usually tend to see them as a collection, but holistic systems functioning may be fully understood only when we see the parts as a whole rather than a collection of them.
So, the wholeness perception over one’s life, compared to evaluating every aspect individually, enables a global whole perception. Such holistic assessment over our life, instead of evaluating each aspect individually, offers a greater level of positive perception and satisfaction in life.

What is Wholeness?

“Wholeness is a positive state of being, both at work and play. It is having a balanced perception over one’s own life as a whole; feeling physically, emotionally, psychologically and mentally healthy and sound; feeling integral and unimpaired among various life roles and responsibilities; perceiving a sense of balance among all life domains; having a sense of satisfaction, engagement, meaning, purpose, achievement; and a general sense of happiness in life.”

– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

This 3-year research study delivers numerous findings:

This holistic model of well-being takes individual as whole, encompassing various domains of person’s life. Every individual factor in the Wholeness model is an internal resource of the individual and displays meaningful effect on well-being and work performance. This shows that the Wholeness model is indeed a model of well-being, because it has positive impact on personal and work-related outcomes (well-being and performance).
The 20 factors of the holistic model of well-being, Employee Wholeness, are interrelated and integrated within themselves. The factors reflect and represent significant aspects of an individual’s life. They complement each other and reflect the person as a whole. So, the factors of Wholeness model are beyond being a collection of factors, but together they make one whole.
Grounded on the Gestalt psychology, Systems and Holism theories, results support the assumption that the Wholeness model functions as a whole. The effect of the model as a whole on well-being and work performance is greater than the effect of each of its individual factor. Such significant finding delivers the evidence to a wholeness perception and justifies Aristotle’s premise that “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
The model represents the developmental dimension of individuals. It reflects the nurture vs. nature philosophy. Each of its factors are state-like characteristics, rather than stable traits. One of the fundamental features of the Wholeness model is that its factors are the internal resources that are intrinsically subject to change and open to development.
The Wholeness model emphasizes the importance in investing in people development, through training, mentoring and coaching. Through such interventions, these personal and work-related characteristics may be expanded and grown. Numerous studies prove the positive effect of personal development on personal and work-related outcomes.

The factors of Employee Wholeness which the Wholeness Perception is based on are at the below table. For more details book a call.

WHOLENESS PERCEPTION MODEL: EMPLOYEE WHOLENESS
Career Success	Emotional Intelligence	Psychological Capital	Engagement	General Satisfaction	Work-Life Balance	Authentic Functioning
Meaning	Motivation	Hope	Enjoyment	Work Life	Balance	Choice
Career Satisfaction	Self-management	Self-efficacy	Absorption	Life in General		Authentic Behavior
Work Discipline	Social Relationships	Resilience	Awareness	Emotions
		Optimisim		Family Life

Proposal of a new employee well-being model: Employee Wholeness

Mind the Positive Philosophy

“Mind the Positive” embodies two powerful truths:

“Mind what your mind minds at.
When you focus on positive, you become positive!”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

“Mind the Positive” philosophy is based on core principles of Mindfulness, through positive focus: Attention, present moment awareness, intention, attitude, acceptance.

“Pay attention, on purpose, to the present moment experiences, in a non-judgmental and accepting attitude, with the intention to be aware and find positive aspects in it.”
– Dr. Shirli Ender-Buyukbay

The brain is the hardware, the mind is the software. Within that perspective, this platform focuses on drawing the attention to the positive matters around you, finding the positive, or neutral aspects, through deliberate intention and attention, rather than letting the mind drawn to the negative.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Co-Journeying approach of personal growth and development is deeply related and based on the Mind the Positive philosophy. When faced with challenges, complex situations, or emotionally charging situations, your freedom to choose lies in your courage and sense of confidence. There may be days you’ll lack full sense of confidence and courage to have a positive sight. It is when the Co-Journeyer comes in and accompanies you in your journey, to regain confidence and courage to act.

“It’s not a matter of letting go, you would if you could.
Instead of “letting go, we should probably say “let it be.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Check Mind the Positive website or book a call for more details.