The Art & Act of Life – Work Flourishing
A ship’s captain is confident in his ability to navigate his vessel with expertise and proficiency. He stays poised at the command deck overseeing his domain with singular self-assurance. He is secure in his vast knowledge and years of accrued experience. At the same time, he holds a healthy respect for the vagaries of nature and the unpredictability of the mighty ocean.
Continue reading “Confident Humility”
I cannot count the sweaters, scarves and baby blankets I have knit over the years, when in the process I made mistakes: dropped stitches, cast on extra, replaced purl with knit, to name a few. To undo the work meant unraveling yards of yarn. You are left with chaotic spools of wool that you have to gather and wrap into a ball, only to knit all over again. It is painstakingly laborious and demotivating. You do it anyway to create a good product. Others stare in disbelief, “You are doing what”?!
Continue reading “Unravel, Unlearn, Rethink”
“The visible is yang and the invisible is yin”, is an astute observation by Dr. Joni Carley, author of The Alchemy of Power: Mastering the Invisible Factors of Leadership. After highlighting the benefits of both tender self-compassion (yin) and fierce self-compassion (yang) in the previous blog, this dovetails nicely into shining the light on how one is internal and the other is external.
Continue reading “Yin and Yang of Thriving”
A swimmer steps onto the diving block aligning her feet, hips and shoulders in the direction she wants to go, positions both her feet firmly on the block, loosens her arms, leans forward and grabs the edge with her hands. At the start signal, she pushes off with her hands and feet, bringing her arms overhead in a streamlined position with head tucked in neatly, to enter the water like an arrow. She creates a solid dive start to enter the water with as little splash as possible.
Similarly, ‘tender self-compassion’ is your meticulous dive start, your spring board to action. It prepares you to enter a challenging situation with both ease and sharp focus, creating minimal drag. Tender self-compassion is the feminine energy ‘Yin’ that encourages you to lean into nurturing, loving, compassionate behaviors towards yourself.
You might well ask, ‘What is all this ruckus about self-compassion?’ At first glance it may seem frivolous and self-indulgent, causing you to shrug your shoulders and dismiss it as being inconsequential. But stay, there is substance here.
Self-compassion is not as light and fluffy as it seems. It is hefty and flinty at its very core. It is not a weakness, but a strength. It is the foundation upon which rests our self-image, world-view, relationships, choices, endeavors to solve problems and achieve great things.
“Write yourself a love letter”, says Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, MD, in his crisp British accent. I almost stumbled on my walk when I heard this phrase as I listened to his book ‘Happy Mind, Happy Life: The New Science of Mental Well-being’ (2022). For many of us this might easily strike a note of skepticism. Now consider his assertion, “the reason New Year’s resolutions don’t last is because they are not coming from a place of love, but a place of lack.” A 2020 study highlights a strong connection between self-compassion and physical health.
Continue reading “Self-Compassion: A powerful love potion”
An equestrian trains for months to participate in horse competitions, events such as show-jumping, dressage, or cross-country riding. In these equine events s/he is showcasing the partnership between horse and rider. Athletic skills requiring precision in horse’s balance and responsiveness, along with the rider’s harmonious connection and communication with the horse are practiced and polished. The rider may enter the summer Olympics for such events. If his focus is endurance and horse racing, he might set his sights on the Kentucky Derby.
The ambition to achieve a specific goal drives the rider’s motivation and propels her through the grueling work of preparing and perfecting skills needed to attain that end. The goal to win the coveted Gold Medal at the Olympics, or the Derby Trophy at the ‘Run for the Roses’ may be the grand ambition. But what if she aspires for greater horsemanship? What would shift?
Workplace meaning can be a ‘hot potato’ topic for many leaders. The wariness could stem from the realization that it seeps into such esoteric areas as religion and spirituality. The word meaning is inherently both rich and broad, robust and expansive. Kellerman and Seligman in Tomorrowmind believe workplace meaning is a term that lends itself to ambiguity and hence managers shy away from such conversations with their team members.
The authors offer the term ‘Mattering’ as a more measurable and actionable alternative. At the end of the day we want to know that our work matters and makes an impact. What we do influences other people, organizations, processes, environment, or the world. We make a difference! Mattering can be considered a highly concrete subset of meaning.
American explorer Mark Dickey was rescued on September 12th from a deep cave in Turkey after becoming ill and being trapped for 9 days. It was more than a mile below the earth’s surface. You might wonder what draws people into the belly of the earth. On the surface these hazardous situations baffle us. Dig deeper. You will find purpose. He was on a mission to map one of the deepest caves in the world. Cartography is needed to research mineral resources, protect water supplies and many other invaluable uses for the planet. An explorer’s mission is noble.
Continue reading “Create Meaning in your Work”
The VIA Institute on Character classifies the free-spirited character strength of Creativity under the stately virtue of Wisdom. It groups together those strengths that gather and use knowledge. How does this apply to creativity? At first glance creativity appears to be something that happens spontaneously, with the leeway to roam and meander whimsically with no purpose or plan set to action. Yet the VIA Institute proclaims unequivocally “There are two essential components to Creativity – originality and adaptiveness.” Innovation is only the beginning when it sparks imagination. It has to be followed up with practical use for it to be considered creativity.
Continue reading “The Spark & Work of Creativity”