I find more and more people today are asking me how they can bring a sense of spirituality into their work life. People often tell me during a consulting session or after a seminar or workshop that they want to bring spirituality into their work life and then they’ll give me reasons why they can’t; for example they will say it’s because of political correctness or they have to deal with difficult people or they are under constant deadlines.
I always smile when they say these things and simply tell them, that is the perfect opportunity to bring spirituality into your work life. If things like giving, kindness and patience are part of your life what better place to practice these qualities than at work?
For example, if you’re dealing with a difficult person, do you blow it out of proportion, overreact, jump up and down and grind your teeth? Or can you practice patience, forgiveness and giving the person a break? Can you encourage the company you work for to be more giving?
There are so many things you can do to bring spirituality into your work life, yet most people don’t because they make excuses like, I’ll get to my spirituality later when I have more time, or I’ll get to it when I have more time to pray or I’ll get to it on Sunday or I’ll get to it when I have time to meditate. The truth is every moment is a new opportunity to practice spirituality. For example, if someone is short with you on the phone that’s the perfect opportunity.
If you really want to practice spirituality in your place of work, you need to ask yourself what attributes and characteristics are important with regard to your own sense of spirituality. For example, if patience is one, then practice patience. Try to bring a sense of your own unique chartable and spiritual values into your workplace.
It’s amazing what happens when you take the initiative in this area. Corporations often ask me to do spiritual counseling sessions for their employees and invariably someone high up in the company will come up to me, and say, “we need to do more this.” And then they’ll ask my advice on how they can create an environment that fosters more spirituality into their workplace.
People have a big heart and they love to give and be kind. They love to help people out; people who are less fortunate than us. Most people have it their heart, but sometimes they just need a little nudge, and if you’re setting a good example, it’s astonishing how many people jump on board.
I think it’s a mistake not to practice your spirituality at work. I encourage you to start to merge your spirituality into your work life and make your work and expression of your own spirituality.
Many people believe that if you’re a spiritual person, where you’re gentle, relaxed, happy and non-stressed then you can’t possibly be successful or become a top-achiever. That is simply not true. In fact, the opposite is true, when your busy, bothered and stressed out it takes an enormous amount of mental energy to maintain that kind of a state.
It takes away from your focus; it makes you tired, stressed out and interferes with your clarity. It is a major source of distraction from what you really should be focused on. You’re so preoccupied and consumed with what’s bothering you that you often times cannot see what’s right in front of you. You can’t see the obvious.
When you begin to practice spirituality in your work place you’ll find yourself being more optimistic and open. You’ll be able to more easily identify your strengths as they relate to your career and you’ll begin to inspire those around you. Practicing spirituality in your work will open the door to new adventures in your career and help you create the life you are meant to live.
