Re-creating

Our Perspective of Work

By Lynne Ashley
 

Very few of us say we like our jobs, and yet we create our work through our perception and expectations of what we think work should be. Our notions determine if work is good or bad, and those notions come from our likes, dislikes, attitudes, opinions, rationalizations, and the stories we make up about how we should or should not interact in the workplace.

How can our work and the workplace be improved or recreated? It’s actually quite simple, but not necessarily easy. It requires much effort and mindfulness (awareness) to look out of ourselves and see the whole workplace, not just our part in it. Logically, to recreate and serve the needs of the workplace, of which we are a part, we have to open our hearts to go beyond our needs, desires, and expectations of how things should or should not be done. We are not limited by our ‘job description.’ To open our heart, or think beyond our personal needs, requires us to put down any self-limiting notions of how we approach our work. In other words, we need to become wholehearted in all we do, otherwise our “half-hearted work will produce half-hearted results.”

Mindfulness of our thoughts, actions, and words is the first step in becoming wholehearted. If we constantly mutter in our minds about how much work we have to do, or how we are not appreciated, or ‘this is not in my job description,’ then, our attention is definitely not on working. Our attention is on feeling sorry for ourselves. This saps out more energy than it would have taken to get the job done; not only that, the job still has to be taken care of, but now we have exhausted ourselves with all that internal muttering.

Lack of mindfulness in speaking can cause exhaustion and dissension in the workplace through lack of clarity in communication, idle gossip, and hurtful phrases. Just a short pause to observe what is occurring can make a world of difference in what we say. We are no longer responding habitually, we are responding from awareness; then, there is mindfulness in our actions. How much time do we actually work? Do we spend the time looking at the clock, idly chattering, shuffling things about, and doing anything but actually rolling up our sleeves and getting the job done?

To the best of our ability, it’s important to be aware of where we have our attention. Is it on the chatter of our thoughts, or on looking out of ourselves to the task at hand? When we are not mulling over what needs to be done, or limiting ourselves to what we think we should or shouldn’t do, or mentally reviewing how others appreciate us, our minds become quiet, clarity arises, and our life force strengthens. We are able to observe, to speak, and to do things that improve the workplace. We have the energy and the heart to ease the work load of others, to uplift, and to be happy. It is amazing how quickly and efficiently our seemingly normal work tasks change into a wholehearted adventure filled with aliveness and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Mindfulness will eventually become effortless, and will produce an amazing transformation in our work day - one that will recreate our perception of work through a ‘labor of love.’ Wisdom Master Maticintin has said that work is a gift of life. It can make us a valuable contributor to life. If we continue to make the effort to be selfless and wholehearted in all that we do, we not only recreate our work and workplace, but we also recreate our relationships, families, and situations. Imagine the pure joy of living life exactly the way we want to.

If you agree to do something, but in your heart, you don’t want to do it, the other person... might react favorably, but at the same time, they have a little barb inside of them because they sense that you’re not wholehearted in what you have agreed to do.

Wisdom Master Maticintin

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