Does your work reflect who you are? Does it honor what you most care about, your strengths and values? In other words, is it in harmony with your soul? Margaret Benefiel writes about Soulful Leadership. In a recent post about Bernie Madoff, she posed some provocative questions:
"We need to ask ourselves regularly: Are my choices today strengthening my soul or eroding it? In what ways are my choices making me the person I want to be? In what ways am I choosing a path that results in my being less than my best self? How can I get the support I need to make better choices? (Leaders on the slippery slope to disaster are notoriously isolated.)"
Although Margaret Benefiel’s focus in this essay was Bernie Madoff’s morality, I think these questions transcend “mere” morality; it’s more about living in harmony with your whole, true self. That is, does your work mesh with how you see yourself—and who you want to be?
Don’t be scared off by these questions. We’re not talking about Cosmic Perfection here. And we are certainly not being elitist. These questions apply whether you are the CEO of a major corporation or if you're a blue-collar worker. I know waitresses and truck drivers who are living their values. In contrast, being in situations that are at odds with how you want to see yourself is like swimming upstream. It's exhausting—and guaranteed to burn you out. It's the opposite of “flow.” The goal is to be moving toward a greater harmony with your ideal life and work. Are you moving in the right direction: toward your values?
Connie DiStasi Hillman, MSW, MA
New Leaf Coaching
http://www.newleafcoachingonline.com
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