Meetings, most of us roll our eyes and can’t wait to get back to our office where the real work gets done.
However, meetings, whether they’re regularly scheduled routines in your company or now-and-then get-togethers, can be a place for you to gain positive visibility and to showcase your capabilities. Here are three strategies that will help you stand out, shine and advance your career.
1. Do your homework before the meeting. In order to make intelligent comments, offer helpful suggestions or ask pertinent questions, you need to know a meeting’s purpose and topic areas in advance. If you have received a vague notice or agenda, inquire about what’s going to be discussed and what are the goals. You can basically say that you want to come ready to contribute.
If it’s your supervisor or team leader who is calling the staff or group together and has left the focus a bit loose, you might offer to prepare an agenda by saying: “This could save time and help the staff / team come prepared to provide useful input.” Be seen as someone who knows how to make meetings effective. This ability is a real career asset, especially in team-based organizations.
2. Polish your act during the meeting. Even if the meeting is informal, mentally run through what issues might come up and what you might say. Jot down any remarks you want to make about certain agenda items. In other words, don’t just wing it. Rather, come prepared with well-thought-through suggestions and supporting information.
Here’s where your observations at prior meetings are critical. Do people speak up freely or wait to be called on by the meeting leader? Are presentations made formally, perhaps by standing at a podium or do people stay seated, interjecting comments when there’s an opening? Determine how the most effective members make their points, and how the leader reacts to various presentation styles. Use this information as a model for your presentations.
3. Follow up and follow through after the meeting. What happens after a meeting can be just as important as what takes place during it. Ideas presented must be implemented and decisions carried out. Even as a participant, you can help to ensure that the decisions made become realities. Here’s how.
Even if someone else is taking minutes, make brief notes about each agenda item. This is a good way to keep your team and boss informed as well as to be available to prepare a meeting summary and send it out to everyone. Also, if you get a great idea after the meeting, don’t sit on it. The opportunity may be lost. Develop a post meeting proposal or outline and present it to your boss or whoever is in charge. Meeting follow ups can give you great visibility to be seen as a problem solver and leader.
Career Success Tip:
If you take an active role before, during, and after meetings, you will demonstrate your ability to get a job done and your willingness to participate in a team effort. As you discover better ways for achieving better meeting results, you’ll be displaying your leadership talent and you’ll be seen as a high performing professional.
One of my all time favorite parables is from Richard Bach. It is the story of the river creatures in his book, Illusions.
Here’s a summary of the parable:
Part I Clinging to the Rocks
There are some river creatures who cling to the rocks in the river. They know nothing other than clinging to the rocks. One day one of the river creatures exclaims aloud, ‘I’m tired of clinging. If I keep clinging to these rocks the rest of my days, I’ll die of boredom’.
The other river creatures say to this one, ‘If you let go, the river will carry you away. You’ll be smashed into the rocks and die for sure.’ To which the river creature responds, ‘There must be something more to this life than clinging. If I have to take my chances and be smashed into the rocks, so be it.’ And with that he let go of the rock where he had been clinging his entire life…..
What do you cling to? What holds you back from going after your dreams? What are you most afraid will happen if you let go of the life that you know and try a new path?
Part II Letting Go and Floating
The river creature does let go and at first is smashed about and thrown against the rocks. But over time he learns to float. He loves floating effortlessly, letting the current take him where it will. One day he comes to another group of river creatures further down stream. They see him float by effortlessly and exclaim, ‘Look a river creature just like us. Yet he does not cling.’ and ‘He has no fear of the rocks or the current. How does he do it? ‘ The river creature replies as he floats peacefully, ‘The river delights to lift us free if only we dare let go.’
When have you completely surrendered and found that a problem resolved itself without any further struggle? How does your faith support you to follow your dream? What can you let go so you move effortlessly through the challenges of your day?
Part III – Lessons from the River Creatures
There is no need to cling to what you have always done. There is no need to do what everyone else is doing. There is only a calling for you to step into the power and splendor of Who You Are. It is up to you to step into your radiance and glory.
The opportunity always presents itself for you to take another approach, shift perspective, change gears.
You are the only one holding you back. You are the only one who can set you free from your self-limiting beliefs, victim identity, not-enoughness thinking, they-won’t-let-me mindset.
There are ample opportunities to grow, stretch, reach, claim. It is up to you to do it and
You will always have the support of the Current to take you where you need to go.
The river delights to lift us free if only we dare let go.
Please share with us in the comment section below your story of how you have set yourself free.
We’d like to hear your stories of working spiritually. Please write to us to share how you integrate your spirituality with your work so we can share your story in future blogs.
Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” The paperback version is available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website. AND…. Linda has recently completed her new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand”!!! It is now available on her website as well.
**As I start this A-Z case study series of people living out their spirituality at work, I want to start with a big disclaimer. Unless the person wrote the article themselves, these examples will be my interpretation of how they practice their spirituality in the workplace or at home. I will be providing insights and examples from what I’ve learned, heard about or observed. So please keep this in mind, that these aren’t the featured person’s exact words it is my opinion and observation unless otherwise stated.
How Mac is making a positive difference in the world through his businesses
I selected Mac Anderson because he is a wonderful example who has provided encouragement, inspiration and hope in workplaces all over the world through his work. Mac originally started Successories, the company that launched the motivational quotes with beautiful photography wall and office decor that you see in many workplaces. Now Mac founded another company called Simple Truths. Simple Truths is an online company that provides the “gift of inspiration” through it’s beautiful books, frames and other inspirational gifts.
In the book, The Big Idea, written by Mac and published by Simple Truths, he talks about his journey with Successories and creating a niche with motivational wall decor. “My purpose was to try to make a positive difference in what I felt was a pretty negative world. My passion and unwavering faith in what we were doing was the fuel that helped conquer the many obstacles we faced along the way.”
The gift of one-of-a-kind inspiration by reinforcing core values
He continues to make a positive difference with the products from Simple Truths. Since 2005, Simple Truths has become the leading provider of inspirational gift books designed to reinforce core values. After selling Successories in 2004, Mac published three successful gift books – The Nature of Success, The Power of Attitude and The Essence of Leadership. In each of these books Mac incorporated his great eye for design, photography, inspirational stories and motivational quotes. The end result were three highly engaging, motivational and inspirational books that became great gifts for customers, employees, friends and family members. Since that time, Simple Truths has published over 50 different titles with authors that include Ken Blanchard, Barbara Glanz, Todd Duncan, Vince Lombardi, Jr. and Michael McMillan.
Simple Truths’ gift books are hardbound, high quality and designed to be quick and inspirational reads. Typically, each gift book is less than 121 pages long, abundantly full of great photography, motivational stories and quotes. Each title is designed to reinforce a core value such as Leadership, Teamwork or Making a Difference.
Simple Truths is the first publisher to sell direct and not through traditional retail channels. As a result, when you give a Simple Truths gift book to a customer, prospect, co-worker, friend or family member you can trust that it will be a unique and greatly appreciated gift. These gift books are the perfect gift to thank a customer or to inspire a prospect.
With many of their books, they have a short inspirational DVD movie that brings the essence of the book to life. These FREE movies are beautiful and touch the souls of those who see them. Their first one based upon the inspirational gift book The Dash (www.thedashmovie.com). Since 2006 it has been viewed by 25 million people world-wide. I use many of their movies like The Dash in my trainings and presentations because they provide profound messages that gets to the heart of what we are talking about. To view all of their current movies Click Here.
Listen to a recorded interview to gain first-hand knowledge about Simple Truths and Mac Anderson
Because I believe in the power of their products, I became an affiliate of Mac’s company, Simple Truths, as well as featured some of their inspirational gifts this month through my Project GratOtude challenge. I had an opportunity to interview one of their employees, Julie Dumler, who is the Director of Strategic Partnerships.
In this recorded inspirational interview with Julie, you can learn first-hand more about Simple Truths, Mac Anderson and few of their books/movies that relate to the power of gratitude. You’ll also receive a special offer to receive one of their beautiful inspirational books so YOU too like Mac and keep making a positive difference in the world.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
Yes, says The Center for Creative Leadership. Their research found that a variety of challenging assignments contribute greatly to the building and seasoning of new and emerging leaders.
However, not all challenges are equal. The ones that will enhance leadership skills are those that:
Require working with new people or high variety or time pressures.
Call for influencing people with no or limited direct authority or control.
Involve building a team, starting something from scratch or solving a problem.
Demand a “take charge” attitude, quick learning, coping with uncertain situations.
Choose Your Challenges Wisely
It’s not necessary to change one’s job to build leadership capabilities. Rather be on the lookout for or request these kinds of assignments, projects or tasks. They are developmental. In other words, they will help you learn, grow and lead more effectively.
Be part of a task force on a pressing business problem
Handle a negotiation with a customer
Present proposal report to top management
Work short periods in other units or departments
Plan an off site, meeting or conference
Serve on a new project / product review committee
Manage the visit of a VIP
Go off-site to troubleshoot problems
Take a board position at a community organization
Be part of the company’s trade show booth team
Redesign a work process with another function
Resolve conflict among warring subordinates
Take over a troubled project and get it back on track
Manage projects requiring coordination across the organization
Supervise assigned office space in a new building
Spend a day with customers and write report
Do postmortem on a failed project
Evaluate the impact of training
Write a proposal for a new system, product, etc.
Interview outsiders on their view of the organization
Pick one or two of the above professional development assignments that would help you develop your leadership capabilities now.
Career Success Tip
You learn on the job every day. But are you learning what you really need to learn to develop your leadership and advance your career? It’s up to you to make sure you’re continually improving, growing and learning. It’s up to you to take charge of your professional development.
To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep.
Joan Klempner
It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.
Baltasar Gracian
I am inspired by a recent weekend get-away to write about the spiritual and performance benefits of sleep and dreams. I got two good night’s sleep and felt more renewed to come back to work. When was the last time you came to work fully rested? Did you feel a bit more patient, empathic, joyful, open, attentive, focused, compassionate, affirming? Sleep deprivation on the other hand leads to irritability, attention lapses, lack of focus, and poor performance on various mental tasks.
Some people get their best insights in the early waking period. It’s a time to journal, meditate, or access emerging ideas while your head is still clear. Perhaps you’ve gotten a creative approach to a problem or shift of perspective while in the shower or quietly sipping your coffee at breakfast. This time of morning is when you move from a deeper relaxation and slower brain wave to your waking goal-oriented thinking. Take advantage of this time before your monkey-mind kicks into gear.
When you are really rested you also tend to be happier, more energetic and more fun to around. Why not get more sleep?! Add extra fun, zest and joy to your work by getting more sleep. You’ll probably be nicer to others and more pleasant to be around. Think of it as a gift you give to yourself and your co-workers.
Get sleep, be happy. How’s that for a mantra?
Pay attention as well to your dreams and how you can gain insights to challenges at work. You may keep a dream journal to see if there are any recurring themes that can illuminate an area of your life you need to focus more on.
I worked with a friend who was studying with a Shaman. She learned to journey into the alternate reality of the dream state to do healing for others or get clarity on life challenges. For several weeks we would set our intention at night to meet in the dreamtime to exchange information or get clarity on an issue we had going on during the day. I found several new insights emerged when I set an intention before going to sleep. See if your dreams have anything to tell you.
Sleep and dreams can support your spiritual practice and your work performance. See what happens in the next week as you use this time for your renewal, greater clarity or insights. Let us know what comes up for you.
And if tonight my soul may find her peace in sleep, and sink in good oblivion, and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created. D.H. Lawrence
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. Victor Hugo
Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” The paperback version is available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website. Chapters 1-5 of “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” are now available on her website as well.
In my new job, I have to make a presentation to upper management. In the past I’ve gotten tongue tied and failed to get support for a project. How can I get them to take my ideas seriously?”
Take a step back for a moment. When someone doesn’t understand your ideas immediately, don’t label him or her an ignorant bureaucrat or whatever. The issue is one of influence – how to get others to see your point of view and buy into it.
Influencing Up
Whether you’re trying to get additional resources or to impact a staffing decision or to extend a deadline, it is similar to selling products or services to customers. They don’t have to buy; you have to influence them to say yes. But I’m not talking about pushing your ideas or products or services. Rather, influencing is an artful way to get people to see the value of what you’re offering and to encourage them to take action. Here’s how.
1. Put yourself in their shoes. Think as they would when developing your proposal. Continually ask yourself: How would they view this? What would their response be? What are they most concerned about? In other words, what problems keep them awake at night that you can solve?
2. Build a foundation. Gather facts, statistics, cases and other evidence that support your position. Then connect the dots between the “what” – your request or proposal and the “why” – how it will achieve specific goals and objectives. Don’ t assume they will make the connection. That’s your job. It is also the key to influencing up.
3. Test it out. Asks others what is and what isn’t appealing about your ideas or suggestions. Find out if there are certain buzz words or key phrases that will get their attention. This helps you hone your presentation so that it won’t be immediately shot down or shelved. The more you’re on their wave length, the more likely you and your ideas will be taken seriously.
Career Success Tip
Influencing up, getting management to buy into your ideas and then act on them, requires personal confidence, professional credibility and skillful communication. Make sure you have all three.
Readers, what has worked for you in influencing up – getting your boss to buy into your ideas?
After Best Practices comes Wise-Guy Best Practices.
If I have to listen to another Best Practices (BP) presentation… If I say that they don’t always work, someone is bound to say to me:
“Okay, Wise Guy, why not? You probably want to substitute training for something that’s proven successful.”
Let me say at the outset: I am not against “Best Practices,” nor do I think they are bad business or bad for training; however, I have always found it interesting but odd that one of the best ways to transfer ideas and proven methodologies is rarely adapted by others. Although I can’t verify the numbers, I think, in most cases, it isn’t used enough or it’s used too often as a problem-solving method–to the detriment of innovation. I think the training value inherent in this post will become more obvious as we go along.
So, what’s wrong with this perfectly conceived notion to transfer BP to others?
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this concept; it is in the delivery method and implementation. One would think that this is the ideal way to transfer proven “practices”–hence the name, or ideas that work. The problem is not in the lack value of the idea or practice itself; the practice may be perfect–especially for the environment it came from; the problem usually begins with the initial delivery of it to a group, and that’s just the beginning of a good idea gone wrong.
Perhaps, this is where training comes in: How do we train on making the best use of BP? How do we deliver BP so our colleagues don’t shut out creative potential or just plain ignore us? How we can stay focused on implementation, taking into account our colleagues too work in a bureaucracy?
The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered more effectively with fewer problems and unforeseen complications.
According to the Wikipedia and Business.com dictionary (not a very authoritative source, I know, but it does get the idea across):
“Best practices are generally-accepted, informally-standardized techniques, methods, or processes that have proven themselves over time to accomplish given tasks. Often based upon common sense, these practices are commonly used where no specific formal methodology is in place or the existing methodology does not sufficiently address the issue. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered more effectively with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. In addition, a ‘best’ practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.”
I’ve worked for government for 30 years, (some of it for the military but that’s beside the point since they use Best Practices, too), and this seems to be the best way to find new and useful ways of doing business for them as well. I won’t argue that it can’t be successful. It stirs up people to try something new, but does it really? That is the big question.
Let’s start with delivery.
A lot of presentations begin with:
“We had a need… We did this organizationally… This is exactly what we did… Here are the results we came up with…” Some presenters go to far as to say, “Here were our stumbling blocks…”
This is how it all happened, but the question of how to apply it is in the minds of your audience members or colleagues. Most of the time, they are finding fault or reasons that are not applicable in their situation and may discount the idea completely. In short, they aren’t listening anymore. The session is now a waste of valuable time.
Now, you have them listening and thinking about their problems, using your input as a part of problem-solving done right.
Here’s what you can do to correct or at least maximize the result.
Keep the idea generic and try to show colleagues how it might work in other environments. If it was such a good idea, you thought of that, at least in terms of process. Tell your audience the process, the logic, the means and obstacles they have to look at. Now, you have them listening and thinking about their problems, using your input as a part of problem-solving done right.
I won’t go so far as to say it stifles innovation, but it stops plans to re-invent, which could include better ideas, and relieves people of having to think creatively. The idea of using BP is an innovative idea in itself. I do understand the ideas that “if something isn’t broke why fix it” and “if it works well, use it.” The trick is to get those who adapt an idea to their environment to actually invest in it long enough to work.
Everyone comes to these events with a pledge to get something they can use–so desperate are we for new ideas.
As a regional office responsible for six states, we have a Best Practices regional conference every year and it is one of our most highly attended events for our colleagues in the states. It is a formula that works well in an environment where you want colleagues in somewhat different environments and different sets of circumstances to adapt the idea so it works in their particular organization.
Using BP is especially useful in the Federal government since it wants its State governments to see the value of certain ideas in practice, and implement something similar in their state. It’s all for the good of the nationwide program; the Federal government could mandate certain procedures but that’s a lot harder–especially if it is an unfunded mandate. And, these days, it’s all about doing more with less.
BP is one approach that can work. I am moderating a session for my organization on “Best Practices” this week myself–as I have for years. I, too, have presented “Best Practices” in several areas, including outreach, customer service, collaboration and communication, and have probably fallen victim myself of doing what everyone else does. We can spend too much time getting there and not leave enough time for the Q and A, easily the most effective portion of the program.
Fortunately, as a moderator instead of presenter, I can work with the speakers toward the goal of transmitting only the most relevant and useful information and try to direct questions from the audience. Hopefully, it won’t be too late. In reality, most speakers will have their presentations all too pat to modify; they are, after all, the specialists talking about their achievements. It’s their important moment.
Human ego causes us to stay in the light that shines on us. I’m sure it’s not enough for celebrity madness to set in, but it may mean we have transmitted what we did for a minimal effect.
A final argument and probably the best comes from a colleague who works at a rather high-level in a state government program. Where it works for the Federal government to transmit a BP to the States and have them work out the details to make the idea work, it is more complicated at the State level. Like the Federal government, there are state-level organizations that overlap so collaboration is needed via memorandums of understanding, contracts essentially, so that certain organizations take on one portion of another agency’s workload, and sometimes they exist outside the branch of government and some are even outside civilian contractors–government privatized for economy. I won’t argue whether it works here. That’s for another article and another time.
As you can see, there is another level or two of bureaucracy within the State that may hamper that effective application, especially when an organization that uses a BP as an excuse to get out of adhering to State policy, preferring to use the BP as a way of alleviating responsibility, or as a means to avoid the work required to actually impose and monitor standards. The contracted organization still wants to maintain control of its own actions. The BP action gives a workable policy a malleability that denigrates what began as a very good idea–all for the sake of local politics, inter-divisional rivalry or departmental bickering. Or, contractual maneuvering. It applies to all: government, business corporations, or non-profits–wherever these factors exist.
“Best Practices,” the darling of business and government, is a great tool used wisely. As in all things.
We see the success of interest and attendance and fail to see the diminishing returns because they are yesterday’s news. We go on with hope eternal that we will find the BP to help us do our jobs better. The hardest part is to ignore the tremendous promise of attendance and think to say what we have to say to keep our audience focused on the BP and not the presenters. BP are for our colleagues’ benefit after all; they will remember the presenters’ organization when the idea is part of their organization as well. Not only is commitment to implementing BP important, but training how to characterize the BP generically is the very next step before we present them.
After completing my A-Z blogs on Spirituality at Work, I would like to build on this example by highlighting examples of people living out their spirituality. I’ll be writing another A-Z blog series, this time highlighting case studies of how people live out their spirituality at work and home.
For example, for the letter B I could do B is for Janae Bower and then share with you my spirituality practices. I plan on highlighting everyday people like us as well as well-known authors.
I’m looking for YOU! I would love to highlight you and what you do as part of my series. You could write your own blog entry or I could interview you. If you are interested in being part of my new series, please comment below stating:
Your name
Why you would like to be part of this series
A brief list of a few things you do to foster your spirituality
If you would like to write the article or be interviewed
Thank you in advance for your participation. I know that this series will really provide all of us with practical examples of living out our spirituality.
Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
A McKinsey Global Survey asked executives about decisions or events that led to a significant long-term positive change in their work life.
One of the most interesting findings was that both men and women said the single most pivotal event in their careers occurred when they were around the age of 30. That’s when they realized that success would not magically happen. That meant that they had to take responsibility for their careers.
Career Check-Up
I have found, working with successful professionals and leaders, that they regularly evaluated their career choices and career opportunities. The first of these career check-ups is in one’s late 20’s to mid-30’s. That’s when you might be asking these kinds of questions: Am I in the right field or how can I advance more quickly or should I seriously consider a recruiter’s call.
Now back to the survey. Here’s what the participants said:
The top four pivotal events that led to positve change in their work life:
Realization that they had become passionate about new roles or industries.
A new job opportunity at your current organization or a new organization.
Their current jobs had become less attractive and they felt they were going nowhere.
Realization that they were not leading the lives they desired.
The top five individual responses that led to greater career satisfaction:
Took a position in a new company or different industry.
Decided to manage my career more actively.
Took a new position in the same company.
Decided to go back to school for postgraduate degree like a MBA.
Revised my career ambitions or goals..
So what influences your career the most?
It’s the situation you find yourself in and most importantly your response to that situation. Successful people know where they want to go; are alert to changes happening in their career environment; and are not standing still but taking action to move their careers forward.
When was the last time you did a career check-up? Don’t leave your career success to someone else.
This passage is taken from my forthcoming book – Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. My book is based on the premise that we are spiritual beings who navigate through our daily earthly experiences to discover or create wholeness, transformation, and joy. A key ingredient to staying grounded in shifting sand is to remember Who You Are as a soul being and to remain connected to your Source of wisdom, compassion, forgiveness, joy and love.
“I’d like to explore how to work spiritually when you know you are a spiritual being on a spiritual journey. From this vantage point you can reframe how you work and why you are here. Those of you who have awakened to your soul journey, you already have made a commitment to use your work life for your important personal transformations and help others in their process as well.
It is hard for some people to fathom working spiritually when you are in the middle of conflicts, power trips, or personal agendas at work. Working spiritually doesn’t mean that you walk around in a blissful state all the time. Sometimes you may feel that the most spiritual you can be is to keep praying for strength to endure until you can see your way out of a situation. Spirituality at work involves diligence, patience, and clarity as much as compassion, authenticity, and forgiveness.
Conscious Evolution
You consciously evolve when you are aware of opportunities to change old patterns that no longer work or expand your growing edge. Conscious evolution takes place at work as much as in any other domain of life, particularly because we spend most of our waking hours at work. You often don’t choose those with whom you work. Too many people find themselves working in toxic work environments or unhealthy organizations. You are put into situations of swirling energy that need to be carefully tended. Learning how to navigate through such conditions and/or knowing when to leave requires careful spiritual discernment. Your work life offers you tremendous opportunity to practice your spiritual truths.
If you are bothered by someone or in the middle of a conflict you need to consider what hot button is getting triggered for you. That is where important spiritual work is for you at present. At a minimum you can learn to be honest with your feelings and speak your truth with compassion and wisdom. The bottom line (figuratively and literally) is to awaken and remain open to your spiritual unfolding. Be intentional about your own growing edge in the midst of chaos and conflict. That’s your spiritual work that needs to be done in addition to any projects or job assignments you’re given.
Seeing Co-Workers as Spiritual Beings
When we remember our work life is integral to our spiritual journey, we see ourselves and others as soul beings and know we are all here to learn lessons for our conscious evolution and spiritual growth. Here’s a visualization you can use to reframe how you see your co-workers.
Imagine your work colleagues as soul beings. Greet them by name and thank them for being part of your work. Affirm that you are each there for a purpose to help one another in your spiritual journey… Surround them each in a gold or bright colored light. Send them energy and thoughts of joy, care, compassion. Send them on their way with the thought that they are a perfect expression of who they came here to be. Thank them for being teachers, guides and supports for your spiritual journey to practice compassion, offer peace, and share joy.
Remember that you are exactly where you need to be to live out the spiritual journey you came to experience for your conscious evolution. Step in to it, celebrate it. Rejoice in being the bright beautiful being that you are. We work as spiritual beings through our heart, mind, and hands. Or as Kahlil Gibran more eloquently wrote, “When you work, you are a flute, through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.”
Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” The paperback version available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website. Chapters 1-5 of “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” are now available on her website as well.
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Meetings, most of us roll our eyes and can’t wait to get back to our office where the real work gets done.
In my new job, I have to make a presentation to upper management. In the past I’ve gotten tongue tied and failed to get support for a project. How can I get them to take my ideas seriously?”
