Heart and Soul at Work

Have you ever worked along side an individual who was constantly angry or hurt or jealous, or demanded special treatment: someone who is the star in their very own soap opera? Well that is not what this article is about.  I want us to consider the human need for expressing our heart and soul in our work, not human emoticons.

           

As a professional coach and mentor, I have worked with so many people who were merely looking for the Right Job: the job that matched their skills and paid the most money. While a healthy dose of pragmatism is necessary, if my quest is not grounded in the intent to express who I am (or as much as my Self as presently possible), then I will ultimately find myself in a job where I experience frustration and constant disappointment ... or worse: depression.

How many people do you know who truly love their work, who love what they are doing? How many people do you know who find a deep sense of fulfillment in what they are accomplishing and achieving? My experience is, not so many.

Some of the reasons for this are:

Thinking solely about money and never giving “calling” or “vocation” a single thought.

Allowing personal history or tradition to be the final arbiter of what we are to do with our futures.

A mindless, go-with-the-flow mindset where circumstance are driving our car, while we sit in the backseat.

Submitting to Authorities, assuming that they know more than we do about exactly what will lead to our true happiness.

            When any of the above is the North Star of my decision making, I end up working at jobs rather than fulfilling my calling. How do I express my heart and soul in my work if they were left out of the decision-making process? The work I am performing needs to have a vital link to who I am — to my heart and soul -- if I am ever going to experience any sense of satisfaction and meaningfulness with my work. Or so I believe …

           

 Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2012

Your Legacy

I recently read an article about how the Paleolithic artists produced the Spotted Horses on cave walls that can be seen in places such as Lascaux and Chauvet in France. What intrigues me is how, from the very beginning of history, people have been inspired to produce something of value that will out live them.

On some primal level of human nature, we are driven to communicate not just our individuality but also our worth.

I was here, and I made/drew/painted/sculpted this.

I planted the tree whose shade you are enjoying.

Because of my life, that young man is now a doctor who is saving lives.

I helped support a charity whose work rescued and helped restore the lives of hundreds of women caught up in the sex trade.

While here, I mattered.

This is my legend, here is my legacy.

Of course there have always been those twisted souls who decide that it is easier to say, “I destroy, therefore I am,” as well as those who choose to sleepwalk through life. You, however, know you have worth, as you were created by God. You know there is a reason for your existence, a purpose for being here. Somehow and somewhere you are supposed to make your mark on your world.

What are you doing that will continue on after you die? Where and how are you going to leave your mark? What and who has changed for the better because of your life and work? What legend are you creating that people will be inspired by, once you leave this world?

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2012