Work is the true nature of humanity; it is the spark of man's divinity. Sounds a bit lofty? I think not, and here's why. What separates us from all other species on earth are our creative imaginations, conscious intentions, and ability to manifest often radically new forms of thinking, doing, perceiving, and creating than have ever existed before. Man and womankind build cultures, develop language, read, write, paint, and innovate new thought and life forms. We have the ability to create something from nothing, to take a hint of an idea or intuition and turn it into a new technology, an original piece of art, a new way of earning, living and serving the needs of the world. And, if that doesn't reflect divine creation, I don't know what does. If the outcomes of our work are preceded, designed and directed by a creative, dare I say god-like spirit; if work follows the mandate of Genesis which is to Do, Create, Master and Rest, doesn't it follow that work should also be the place where we can create ourselves? I believe that work is the field upon which we can meet ourselves fully, discover our strengths, talents and preferences and challenge our beliefs and ways of being. David Whyte, poet and author of "The Heart Aroused and Crossing the Unknown Sea", has said, "At its simplest, good work is work that makes sense, and that grants sense and meaning to the one who is doing it and to those affected by it. My personal experience, as well as years of coaching, counseling and facilitating the learning of others has led to a single, yet powerful realization: We must redefine work as not that which we do merely to make a living or to just survive, but redefine work as how we create our very lives and our being. If we don't, we are doomed to spend more than 65% of our lives which is how much time the average person spends working experiencing working lives of quiet desperation. How we create who we are in the world, what we stand for, what we value, and what we yearn for must become part of how we engage in work. If work is all about Doing and not about Being than our lives are condemned to shallowness - a monochrome facsimile of what is possible. If we don't learn to approach our work as a spiritual practice, as a serious discipline towards right-livelihood, then we can't pretend shock and dismay when the Enron's, political malfeasance, and horrors of Iraqi prisons occur. If we don't hold ourselves accountable to a higher calling in our work, can we honestly hold others so? When we finally embrace the notion that work is intrinsic to who we are as human beings; that work can allow us to experience ourselves as fully, vitally, and vibrantly human then we will begin to value the Being at work even more than the Doing. If your work is not allowing you to be fully human, you are not working fully. If you aren't bringing your unique gifts to bear, if you aren't finding myriads of ways to lead from your authentic self, if you feel too stressed or fearful to reach out to others in caring, appreciative and sharing ways, you are operating on a playing field that is too small for your soul. Some time ago I was privileged to attend a talk by Rabbi Irwin Kula, www.simplewisdom.com. He taught that the Hebrew word for work is Avodah. Avodah also means work, prayer and service. Wrapped up in that one Hebrew word is the essence of making every act count, of finding meaning everywhere and at all times. I am not speaking about religion, I am referring to spirituality. And, when I refer to spirituality, I don't mean some New Age babble. As Kula wisely observed, spirituality arises from and in the face of the Unpredictability of Life. How do I behave; what do I strive for; what do I hold myself responsible for; what lessons must I learn; and what contributions must I make while simultaneously embracing the overwhelming reality that Life is Unpredictable? A business can go under overnight. A job can be lost regardless of your performance. Earning a big paycheck can be the most miserable fate in town. Skyscrapers can be destroyed in a matter of minutes and I can die at any moment. Given these realities, I have a choice to make about how I live and how I work. I have that choice and so do you. You and I have the choice of shriveling up in fear and in trying to keep it safe or we can go forward, embrace unpredictability and walk out in faith with the conviction that we have the ability to transform our lives at work into works of art. To accept and deal with life's unpredictability, I think, is the work of our lives. Animals yearn for predictability, require it and become highly agitated when it is absent. We do as well, but we are also consciously aware that predictability is an illusion and that to thrive we need to find ways to surf the waves of the uncertain rather than to freeze on the board and tumble helplessly into the foaming sea. For many of us there comes a time when life just begs us to stop and back up in order to gain a better perspective and then, just listen. Listen to our hearts, listen to our intuition and even listen to our fears. Then we may be empowered to give ourselves permission to entertain the possibility that there might be a better way to work, to live and to engage in life. Some, like me, have to be clubbed into submission; others are less bull-headed and heed the signs earlier. I was forced to slow down, go deeper inside and learn to patiently listen while struggling with my habitual need to control the messages that emerged as well as the schedule of their emergence. I had to give up and embrace that my mind, beliefs and will did not have ultimate supremacy. I had to welcome unpredictability and find faith. Sharon Salzburg, a well-known teacher of Buddhism writes in her book "Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience": Faith enables us to be fully engaged while also realizing that we are not in control, and that no strategy can ever put us in control of the unfolding of events. Faith gives us the willingness to engage in life, which means the unknown and not shrink back from it". Once I slowed down and listened to my inner knowing the most powerful awareness and certainty began to emerge. The way that I had been working was not serving my spirit. I had been driven by a need to succeed, to stay frenetically busy, and made anxious by the conviction that the business world operated from a place of scarcity. I had been surviving but certainly not thriving. Thriving, I discovered, is a whole different animal. Thriving demanded that I shift my relationship to work. To thrive I had to change the way I was making a living into the way I was crafting my life. I had been choosing a static, unconscious and ultimately dissatisfying relationship to my work. I was turning myself into a Workplace Victim! It became clear to me that I had to find a way to make my work serve my life, not have my life serve my work. In "True Work: The Sacred Dimensions of Earning a Living," by Justine Willis Toms & Michael Toms, they write: "There is a letting go of expectation or attaining results even though the intention remains and the focus of energy stays on the present. You give up control and are willing to function in the field of uncertainty; your concentration is on whatever you are doing in the moment. Indeed this principle is really the key to living life, because you are brought totally into the present without worrying about the future or regretting the past. Life is neither linear nor static. It is holographic, multi-dimensional and dynamic. As Caroline Myss states, we are all students in Earth School. Being students we have much to learn. We must learn to adapt "beginner's mind" which involves the willingness to learn, be open, to change, and to release the idea that we if we could only figure it all out we would finally be immune from loss and harm. Like the heroes of old myths and fairy tales, you can aid in restoring life, health and growth in the kingdom which exists within our selves,our organizations,government, family and communities. It takes courage to take your own journey on an uncharted path to find your rightful place and to offer your unique gifts to the world. I wish you great courage. |
