Author: Linda Ferguson

I had a challenging conversation recently with a business woman. She was really upset about something I had done, and as I was trying to fix the problem, she screamed at me. It’s not fun to have someone scream at you, especially when you are trying to help them. Ever have one of those conversations?

Luckily for me I have practiced NVC for several years. I listened empathically to her screaming until she slowed down enough for me to calmly state what was happening. She stormed away as I went to work on the issue. I felt a bit numb and did my best to fix the situation.

Afterwards, when I knew the problem hadn’t been fixed, I went into a lot of fear around what her response was going to be. I also was mad at myself for what I had done a couple weeks earlier to fix the problem, which only made the problem worse. I tried to think of the next right course of action to take.

I had a hard time thinking clearly for the next couple of hours. I felt a lot of fear and dread about the problem not being fixed. I had a hard time focusing on my work and imagined all sorts of awful scenarios that could occur. It was quite a drama play going on in my head. I was aware of how much I was scaring myself. I stopped and reminded myself I didn’t need to go down the path of fear.

To calm down and collect myself, I watched some inspiring videos and posts on FB. I had to sort out what was the next right course of action to take to remedy the situation.

Then I remembered my all-time favorite advice. “When you are uncertain what is the right course of action to take, ask yourself this: What would Love do now?”

So there I was at the fork in the road. I could keep going down the path of fear or I could find out what would Love do now. I reflected on this question as I moved through my day. I got a few ideas of how I wanted to handle the business woman next time I spoke to her. I started to calm down and forgive myself for what I had done earlier. I started to give myself some compassion and affirm that it would all work out. I remembered not to sweat the small stuff.

The situation is still not over. I just need to reminder to follow the path of Love. I can keep choosing Love (capital Love for spiritual love, kindness, compassion) rather than stay mired in fear and dread.

If you need to sort out a dilemma or make a difficult choice, consider the question “What would Love do now?”. Practice using this phrase next time someone gets upset with you or you get upset with yourself.

It never hurts to keep choosing Love over fear.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminar topics, and books.

Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” is available in paperback or ebook – Click here to order.

“Like” – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson – if you want to get notices of other blog posts and updates of Linda’s work.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

It’s that time of year again – Tax season. Funny how tax time is also the time of planting and tending to gardens. I am reminded of the quote of Jesus, “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and give unto God what is God’s”. What are you planting or tending through your taxes and tithing?

Taxes are an investment in civic infrastructure so that we can have roads, drinking water, schools, parks, fire and rescue etc. Taxes can be viewed as tending to the garden of democracy and social well-being.

Tithing is an investment in your spiritual well-being. Perhaps you give money to charity to reduce your taxes, but hopefully you also contribute to charities to support the tender fabric of your community and planet.

Taxes and tithing contribute to your physical world and your spiritual world. They build a life of balance between the mortal human world and the Divine Oneness within and throughout all life.

Invest in your Spiritual Well-being

Do you invest your time, energy, or money for your personal spiritual development?

I spent a weekend at Yogaville recently. We were able to rest, meditate, walk in the woods, do yoga, and eat healthy food. What a great combo for me to renew myself and connect deeper with nature and global consciousness.

My investment of time and money paid off in spades. When I returned home I received an emotionally challenging email from someone close to me. I could have easily been angry or offended by the email. Yet I felt very calm and heart-centered from the weekend. I was able to respond in love and compassion instead. I know my response was more loving and kind due to my meditation retreat.

Are you willing to invest in yourself to support your own growth and well-being? In so doing, you’ll be investing in the well-being of those around you.

May you find peace as you pay taxes, water your garden, help your neighbor, support your community, and invest in your spiritual home.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

Linda has a new Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson “Like” this page if you want to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminar topics, and other writing.

This past weekend I attended a retreat at Yogaville, south of Charlottesville VA. It was fabulous. We had time to slow down, take yoga classes, eat healthy, sleep, and walk in the woods. Best of all for me was the meditation in the LOTUS shrine. This shrine is dedicated to the spiritual principle: ‘Truth is One, Paths are Many’.

Focal Point

The focal point of the retreat was to enter our own ground. Through yoga and chanting we were able to leave the door of our mind, enter the gates of our heart, and rest in the pools of pure consciousness. Aaahhhh…..

From this still point place, awareness expanded, heart opened, mind stilled. Aaauuummmmmm
And then a thought arises, and another, then the monkey mind goes wild. Where was that still point I was just sitting in a minute ago??
Aaauuummmm peace, stillness…..
And then another train of thought comes into the station, blowing its whistle loudly disturbing my calm and clarity. Darn it!
Notice that judgment…… yes I’m pissed…..Awareness…….I was thinking about work next week.
Aaaaauuuuuuummmmm breathing, awareness, thought, observation
Breathing in – breathing out; in –breath, out-breath …

And so it went throughout the weekend. Clarity, calm, monkey mind chatter, to-do lists, website revisions, peace, stillness, future planning, workshops to prepare, schedules to keep, when is dinner?
Aaaauuuuummmmmm… notice the beautiful flowering trees – the dogwoods and redbuds. Look at those gorgeous azaleas. Wow aren’t they stunning?

Stillness Every Day

Finally after two days, the last afternoon I felt calm. No thoughts, just silence. I wanted to walk in silence the whole way from the LOTUS shrine to the dining hall for the final meal. I wasn’t even thinking of what food I would eat. Only pure awareness of the beautiful spring day.

Of course I don’t need to go to an Ashram for this experience. I can notice my breath as I’m talking on the phone, I can breathe deeply in a meeting, I can be aware of my thoughts as I am driving my car. All day can be my retreat, if I am in that place of awareness.

Change happens, work piles up, calls come in, calendars get full. Yet it is all breath, all awareness, all consciousness of being in a physical body. We are here. Now. Breathe.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminars, and books.

Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Linda has a Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson “Like” this page if you want to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

I have been so filled with joy at the beauty of spring opening up all around me. Last week the Japanese Cherry trees were in full bloom. They are the ones Washington DC is so famous for having by the Jefferson Memorial.

This week the dogwoods are out in full bloom. The azaleas and redbuds are beginning to open. Spring is in its glorious splendor of colors.

Who couldn’t be happy and joyful with this kind of beauty everywhere?!

Take time this week to notice the beauty around you.

I Walk with Beauty

I was reminded of a Navajo chant the other day about walking in beauty. Here’s part of it. Repeat this some time when you get sucked into negativity at work, or feel pain, anger, or frustration.

I walk with beauty before me,

I walk with beauty behind me,

I walk with beauty above me,

I walk with beauty below me,

I walk with beauty all around me,

As I walk the beauty way.

Celebrate Spring

I have been taking videos and pictures of the beautiful flowering trees to remind me that beauty is every where around and within me.

Here’s a link to a video I took and posted on my website : Cherry Blossom Meditation

I posted this video to share the beauty of the cherry blossoms. Take 5 minutes to still your mind and let the beauty of the video fill your cup.

Feel free to visit my website for more blog posts on practical spirituality for daily living.

Here are some other resources for you to celebrate spring and walk the beauty way.

Navajo Beauty Way

Earth Chants

Let Love Prevail

Bright Blessings as you Walk the Beauty Way – Aho!

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.
Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching, keynotes, seminars, and books.

“Like” Linda’s Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson if you want to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

A dear friend of mine was really struggling at work last week. Her project was in chaos, her boss didn’t understand the complexity of what was happening, she was frustrated with herself for taking on too much of other people’s responsibilities. She was overwhelmed and pissed off.

One morning, as she was preparing for a meeting with the “Big Cheeses”, she unloaded on me. I got the image of her as a wild monkey flinging poop everywhere. It was actually sort of comical.

Luckily for me, for the last five years I’ve practiced NVC (Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg). NVC has saved me heart-ache and pain on many occasions. I didn’t take my friend’s poop personally. I let it fly by and not worry about it. I knew it was her sh—and not something I needed to deal with. I let her rant about work until she calmed down. I did my best to have her see that I understood her frustrations and that she was in pain and needing support. I asked her a few coaching questions to get her to think through how she wanted to handle her meeting. Then I let her be.

Later that morning I took our dog for a walk. As I was scooping up my dog’s morning mess, I thought to myself, “Well isn’t life like that. Sometimes we have to scoop up sh—that other people leave behind.” I just simply put my dog’s poop in a plastic bag and walked on. I wasn’t upset at my dog, I wasn’t angry, I just calmly cleaned up her poop.

Eliminating Poop

Last week I wrote a blog about doing Shadow work. It involves recognizing those aspects of yourself that you don’t want to admit or allow others to see. If we feel we must hide our shi—all the time, we don’t ever get to eliminate it. It seemed like a fitting metaphor for what happened with my dog and my friend that morning. Elimination and not getting hit by flinging poop.

Some times at work people get pissed off. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t nice. Sometimes it downright stinks! Yet we don’t have to own anyone else’s sh—. We can let them fling it while we calmly dodge it. Or we can choose to pick it up without judgment or responding in anger. It takes a lot of compassion and clarity to not let the sh—stick. If you respond in anger or judgments, you’re likely to have the sh—stick. Side stepping it is usually the best trick. Offering compassion for the person in pain likely will stop the poop flinging faster than arguing back.

After my friend calmed down, she called me back and said she was sorry and just needed to vent before her meeting. I knew that was happening. I told her I understood. I didn’t take her crap personally. She called me later in the day and said her meeting with the “Big Cheeses” went well and that she felt more clear going into the meeting knowing what she had to say.

Spirituality sometimes smells like manure

The lesson I want to share here is that spirituality at work isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it means attending to someone else’s sh–. It’s up to you whether you want to step into the crap or dodge it when it’s flying at you. Should you want to scoop the poop of another, best to do so with care, detachment, and non-judgment.

The greater compassion and understanding you can muster for someone who is flinging the poop, the better you’ll dodge it. Work to stay centered and not take it personally. It has nothing to do with you; the other is simply eliminating. Great spiritual practice takes place when you see through the other person’s action to be aware of their pain or stress. Compassion is always a spiritual practice you can offer for yourself or another when the poop starts flying.

And sometimes manure is needed to help a garden grow more fertile.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminar topics, and books. Starting this fall Linda is going to offer retreats on Journey of the Soul.
Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

In some of his groundbreaking work in psychotherapy,Carl Jung coined the phrase ‘Shadow’ as those aspects of our self that we hide, deny, or avoid.

Here’s a good short introduction to the Shadow- ShadowWork Seminar and Video

What is Shadow?

We spend mental, emotional, and spiritual energy stuffing traits and hiding behaviors we’d rather not recognize or have other people see.

The Shadow isn’t just about ‘negative’ traits or behaviors such as greed, dishonesty, or stealing. Most traits have two sides. For example: arrogance and confidence, laziness and rejuvenation, bossiness and being responsible.

Debbie Ford’s book, “The Darkside of the Light Chaser” popularized the concept of the shadow in more recent times. Her book offers ways to reclaim all aspects of your life to find wholeness.

I’ve followed the work of Debbie Ford and incorporate her ideas into my programs on Emotional Intelligence. Recognizing your own shadow you’ll see how your emotional triggers get set off by others. Lashing out at others who annoy you at work often is a result of them expressing some aspect of your own shadow that you don’t like and are trying to hide or deny. As you move into a place of greater acceptance and compassion for your own shadow, you don’t react as sharply or negatively to others who show those same qualities.

Understanding Your Own Shadow

What parts of your life would you rather deny or hide? Look for the gold in them. How might those traits serve you?

Exploring your Shadow can help you reclaim parts of yourself that you have stuffed or hidden for years. You’ll need to step through your doubts, fears, and insecurities to re-claim and embrace your authentic self. It’s best to do this work with a skilled facilitator or in a low consequence situation.

Consider doing this is powerful work to find greater peace and compassion. As you see the gift behind your shadow, you’ll be able to fully embrace all of who you are. This will help you be more accepting and compassionate with others who express those same shadow qualities. From your authentic wholeness, you can then accept and understand others being their whole and authentic self.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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I love the music and lyrics of Faith Rivera. She’s a fabulous singer and messenger. Her performances are energizing, inspiring, and touching. I want to share this video clip that I use in some of my programs to get energized.

Listen to the music and let it fill you with positive energy. See which lines you like. My favorites are:

• All that you think, say, and do, shapes the world with your truth
• If you come from need, need will be the seed of your story
• Tomorrow you can choose again

Enjoy!

Let me know how you like this video by sharing your reflections and comments below.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminar topics, and books.

Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

“Friend” Linda on her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/lindafergconsciouscreator

Click this link to order Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

In an earlier blog this year, I wrote about the influence of Martin Luther King Jr. on my life and his approach to social justice and peace. To create the Beloved Community we don’t need to have the gift of oration that King had, we don’t need to make tremendous sacrifices or put our life on the life. We need only connect with the love in our own heart and carry that into our work with conscious intent.

The Beloved Community

“The Beloved Community” is a term first coined by the theologian Josiah Royce, early in the 20th Century. Martin Luther King, Jr. used this term to describe the end-state of social change for greater justice and harmony between all people.

From the King Center website the following summarizes King’s vision of the Beloved Community.

Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.

Dr. King’s Beloved Community was not devoid of interpersonal, group or international conflict. Instead he recognized that conflict was an inevitable part of human experience. But he believed that conflicts could be resolved peacefully and adversaries could be reconciled through a mutual, determined commitment to nonviolence. No conflict, he believed, need erupt in violence. And all conflicts in The Beloved Community should end with reconciliation of adversaries cooperating together in a spirit of friendship and goodwill.

Weekly Steps as Spiritual Practice

For those of you who support this vision, who want to align your gifts, passion and purpose to create such a world, think of one area where you feel drawn to put your energy. It could be in your work, community, or any organization that will help future generations live with greater justice and peace.

Then read the six steps of non-violence below.

• Focus on one step each day to practice the idea.
• Review every night how you did with it.
• At the end of the week, review the differences you made or how you felt doing this practice.
• Reflect on how your faith came into play as you practiced these.
• Note how your sense of connection to others shifts from this practice.

The Six Steps of Nonviolence described by The King Center:

Information Gathering – The way you determine the facts, the options for change, and the timing of pressure for raising the issue is a collective process.

Do you collect facts with an open heart and open mind? Do you truly seek to understand what is happening before you move to be understood? How do you seek options for change and work with others to collaborate on ideas?

Education – The process for developing articulate leaders, who are knowledgeable about the issues.

How are you developing yourself as a leader and role model for others? Do you seek the thoughts and ideas from divergent viewpoints so that you can be fully educated on an issue?

Personal Commitment – Means looking at your internal and external involvement in the nonviolent campaign and preparing yourself for long-term as well as short-term action.

What does non-violence mean to you? What stirs your soul enough to work for greater justice and peace?

Negotiation – The art of bringing together your views and those of your opponent to arrive at a just conclusion or clarify the unresolved issues.

How willing are you to negotiate on an action? Do you hear the opposing view before you arrive at a conclusion? Are you willing to speak up so that others know your side of the story, learn from your perspective what is happening?

Direct Action – Occurs when negotiations have broken down or failed to produce a just response to the contested issues and conditions.

What steps do you take in your work and community to improve conditions for others? How do you act at home or at work with an open heart, from love and peace rather than anger or fear?

Reconciliation – The mandatory closing step of a campaign, when the opponents and proponents celebrate the victory and provide joint leadership to implement change.

What victories do you celebrate when you and others have worked hard to complete a project? Did anything shift in your own heart regarding your views or relationship with those you view as an opponent? How do you want to share leadership for continual improvements?

Find ways in your work and throughout your week that you can practice doing these steps to create change right where you are. Leave a comment here to let us know how this practice worked for you.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminar topics, and books.

Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

I wrote my first book, Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service, to support people who want to integrate their spiritual life with their work life. On my book tours, I heard wonderful and amazing stories of people who were able to work spiritually. They were authentically present at work- mind, body and spirit. Others felt afraid or confused about how to show up as a spiritual person at work. They often felt they needed permission to do this. Yet in my talks I showed them that being spiritual is as much a part of being human as breathing. Being spiritual means allowing yourselves to be present to that Source of Life and Love within you.

I continue to talk with people who don’t understand how spirituality and work mix. I’ve gotten thank you emails from readers of this blog who have shared how much they appreciate our posts. They often say that our blog posts help them re-frame how they understand spirituality and its place at work.

Working Spiritually

I want to write this week for those of you who have a deep desire to more fully Step Up and Step Out as a spiritual person. Many of you yearn to align your spiritual self with the work they do.

Switch Jobs: I’ve run across dozens of people who want to leave their current job to work in a place that more aligns with their values, gifts, and spirit. They often just need extra encouragement and focus to make the leap to another place. My job coaching supports them in that process. My seminar “Invite the Shift” teaches a process I developed called Transformational Empowerment. It builds on spiritual concepts for creating your life by design, not default.

Re-Create Your Work: Others have lost their job and feel this is an ideal time to re-create their work by doing something they truly love. With the power of the internet to reach millions of people with the click of the button, there are more and more ways to bring your gifts to a wider audience and get paid for it. I’m learning more tips and tricks for doing that and will share that with visitors to my website in the months ahead (www.lindajferguson.com).

Work Spiritually Where You Are: Still others know they have a spiritual purpose working right where they are. In my previous job it was clear to me that my purpose was to be a spiritual presence for my co-workers. I often helped shift the energy of a group or provided a positive perspective to help a team move through their challenge. I was able to remind groups of their inherent creative energy, and to tap into that energy and creativity to build what they truly desired.

3 Ways to Step Up and Step Out Where You Are

You may be a Reiki master or other form of energy worker. Sharing your gifts in the meetings you attend supports those around you. As you tune in and turn up your energy, you change the vibrational energy of the room and others feel it. Bringing down Light and Love to a group in conflict or when a team hits an impasse is enormously healing, calming, or clearing. I often connect with the Higher Power/Divine Wisdom of a group to help them find a new path for their work.

Simply reminding others of their innate Light and Love (in whatever words you choose to use) helps your co-workers shift out of their fears, lack of confidence, or victim mentality. Affirming for them that they have the power and the presence to move through their challenges helps them re-connect to their Source of guidance, clarity, and comfort.

You serve as a reminder that they are a Bright Beautiful Essence. Share this video link with them (click here). This is a short clip from a program I did last fall where I shared stories and meditations for working spiritually.

There are unlimited ways you can Step Up and Step Out to share your gifts with others and work spiritually. Leave a comment below to share stories of how you are doing this through your presence or your actions at work.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for information about her coaching work, keynote presentations, seminars, and books.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Too many people today spend their waking hours doing work they hate, or at least barely tolerate. What a waste of human potential. At a time when we need more people to contribute solutions to our pressing problems, to bring energy to help businesses succeed, to find new paths for a better world, we can no longer afford to work in ways that are numbing, draining, or demoralizing. We can’t afford it at a human personal level and we can’t afford it at a global economic level.

While many companies say their employees are their greatest assets, few executives are working tireless to create work environments that renew and replenish their workforce.

Creating Companies with Heart

Organizations are social institutions. We create them, we can change them. Here are a few websites that are helping organizations shift how they see themselves. Self-awareness and self-reflection are the first steps to self-improvement.

Glassdoor.com is a website to help you rate your workplace. The Employee’s Choice award goes to those companies whose employees give high approval for their company. Some forward-thinking executives are using this website to gauge their employee satisfaction and engagement.

The Good Company Index provides ratings of Fortune 100 companies based on various social responsibility categories and human capital criteria. This index can also be used to support your efforts to have a workplace that cares about its people. The research of McBassi and Co. has shown that companies high on their index outperform S&P 500 companies.

The Great Place to Work website offers ratings and ideas on best practices for employee engagement. For over 25 years this organization has helped set benchmarks for firms from a human capital perspective.

Engagement is at the heart of any successful firm, quite literally. Companies that spark the creativity and hearts of their staff succeed over the long haul.

Creating Meaningful Work

Finding and creating meaningful work, work that speaks to your heart and soul, work that allows you to share your gifts, passion and purpose, are the ones worth creating. Focus on what you can do differently so that your talents don’t go untapped, parked at the front door of your office.

No employer wants to see good talent go to waste. Talk with your boss or co-workers about ways you can enliven your workplace. For more ideas for working with passion and purpose, read my book, Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service, now out in the 10^th anniversary edition.

• Click this link to order Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Bright Blessings as you bring your gifts, passion, and purpose to work in meaningful ways.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Dr. Linda J. Ferguson is an author, speaker, consultant and seminar leader. Visit her website- www.lindajferguson.com for more information about her transformative work. Linda has a Facebook Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson “Like” this page if you want to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.