When was the last time your got your spirituality out and plonked it on your desk at work?
Or do you hide it in a secret inside filing cabinet, dutifully unpacking it when you get home?
It’s a challenge that so many of us face when we’re on a spiritual path: at some level we are scared of appearing to be ‘spiritual’ at work.
Maybe people will judge us. Maybe they’ll laugh at us. Maybe they won’t take us seriously. Maybe they’ll avoid us. Maybe they’ll write us off as ‘woo woo’. Maybe you’ll miss that promotion. Maybe you’ll scare off that dream client and lose the contract.
So instead we pretend to be the person we used to be, before we fell in love with meditation or yoga or mindfulness or whatever other practices keep us going when it’s dark and rainy. And that ‘pretending’, even if it’s not conscious, sets up an inner conflict where you are judging and rejecting yourself for wanting to live consciously, from your heart.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Your business NEEDS you to be spiritual at work.
Whether you’re running a mega-empire or working a check-out till in a store, your business, your customers and your colleagues all secretly need you to be a shining light, to be living from your heart and to be clearing out your personal ‘stuff’ – just the kind of thing that falls into place when you’re aligned, consciously, with your spiritual path – your dharma.
Business success is about relationships, clear-thinking, a good dollop of intuition, passion, inner calm and the dedication to keep going, even when you’re not in the mood (called ‘abhyasa’ in Ancient times!). And you know that your spiritual practices can sky-rocket all of those qualities.
So here are seven ways you could effortlessly weave your favourite spiritual techniques into a busy work-day – and they’ll actually increase your likelihood of being productive, calm, intuitive, fun to be around and getting that promotion or contract.
- Say ‘namaste’ to everyone you meet
The divine within me honours and respects the divine within you. It’s kinda hard to imagine having an all-out row with someone when you start from that point. But it doesn’t mean you’re lining yourself up to be a door mat, either. ‘Namaste’ is about heart-based connection and gentle eye contact (not psycho-style piercing stares!). Done with confidence, the other person will feel the connection and you might be amazed how much better the meeting will run.
And if someone DOES decide to behave like a total arse, remember it’s most likely not about you – all criticism comes of someone else’s pain – and they need your compassion (and clear boundaries!), not your judgement and rejection. - Choose which thoughts to feed
Just because you’re at work doesn’t mean you have to indulge your inner Drama Queen 😉 Yes, she might love getting down with the gossip at lunchtimes, but if it’s not something you do any more at home, there’s no need to do it at work. And as for the stories we tell ourselves about stress and worries, you can ALWAYS choose which thoughts to feed – and which stories to tell yourself. How about choosing instead to feed the thoughts about meetings going well, there being plenty of time, projects being successful and you loving your work…? And if you genuinely can’t tell yourself those stories, then maybe it’s time for a career change? - Get here – now!
Come on… We know it in our hearts… Multi-tasking is the enemy of being in the present moment and – researchers have now proven – efficiency and productivity. And that mindfulness could be your new best friend. How about retraining yourself to focus on just one task at a time, so you can be present and mindful while you’re doing it? Oh – and doing that completer-finisher thing that so many of us find so hard. It’s great for your performance in the office – and it’s also good spiritual training for keeping going when you’re maybe not in the mood 😉 - Ask yourself one of my favourite questions:
This is a fab question for your spiritual development, as it helps you to let go of the projection from your Monkey Mind / Ego and to connect with your Soul’s view of the situation:“What is REAL here, right now?”
When you focus on what is real, truth, fact, rather than what is drama, story and assumption, it realigns you with your deeper wisdom. And it can be a rocket booster for your problem solving ability and negotiating skills at work, as well as cutting your stress levels.
- Go and hide in the loos
Do a micro-meditation! Five minutes of meditation (I’m not trying to get you fired for skiving off!) can help you to de-stress, feel calmer, get more clarity of thinking and reconnect with what’s actually important in life. Belly breathing is a brilliant option for this because it rebalances your nervous system, gets you out of stress-based upper chest breathing and is so simply (and invisible) that you could do it at your desk or in a meeting and it’s unlikely that anyone would spot it. If you’d like a quick reminder, here’s a 5 minute belly breathing meditation you might enjoy. - Know how to connect with your intuition – your Soul’s wisdom.
It’s different for each of us, but common themes are relaxing, going for even a short walk in nature or specific pranayama breathing practices. If we’re creative, then most of these ideas can be done at work, just as easily as they can at home. And just imagine how it would shift your performance if you practice connecting with your intuition whenever you need it! - Say THANK YOU!
Gratitude isn’t just something you can do at home. If you sprinkle gratitude minutes throughout your day at work, not only will you shift your mood, but you’ll also find more things to feel grateful for. Remember: gratitude is a way of resetting your inner radar to spot what’s great about life, rather than whinging about what’s wrong. So it’s especially important if you’re in a job that you’re not in love with. If you’re new to gratitude practices, you might enjoy my free 7 Day Gratitude Kick Start course.
I hope those ideas have inspired you – and I’ve got a bonus technique for you, too:
Smile
Smiling releases tension. Jaw-clenching is a classic problem at work and it is unconsciously perceived as a sign of aggression by others in meetings, even if you don’t mean it that way and smiling fixes this. It floods your system with endorphins, lifts your mood and is usually contagious.
If you’re worried about your colleagues thinking you’re a Loony Tunes character or have popped one too many happy pills, smile with your eyes and your heart instead. It might sound silly, but it works – it’s your intention that your body reads, not what you do with your mouth.
That’s it for today! I’d love to hear your top tips for being spiritual at work. Is it something you have had a problem with? What might you do differently now? And if you’re an old pro, how about sharing your top advice via the comments?
And if you’d love to connect with like-minded souls who are into Soul-Sizing their lives, wherever and whenever, then join us today for Dancing In Your Soul-Shoes – you get regular members-only ‘how to’ videos and articles, as well as membership of our gorgeous private FB group. And it’s free – my gift to you!
With love, Namaste,
P.S. I’ll be doing an article soon about 10 great yoga poses you can do at your desk or in the bathroom at work, to refresh your mind and recharge your soul. If you’d like to make sure you get it, please grab your copy of my weekly newsletter.