People want to find meaning and purpose in their work and life. Some go back to school or take a trip to Europe or Costa Rica hoping to discover who they are. Trips are a great adventure. But the saying "wherever you go there you are" is a simple truth. It's what I call the "cosmic wild chase". The essence of who you are is already there in the stillness of the present moment. Eckhart Tolle wisely speaks of this in his life-changing book "A New Earth...Awakening to Your Life's Purpose".
I was working with a lawyer career transition client in my coaching practice yesterday. He is unhappy as a litigator and wants to find more fulfilling work. I asked him about his motivation to go to law school. The answer wasn't surprising. He didn't know what else to do. He is looking for part time work as a lawyer to pay the bills. Concurrently, we are working on helping him more fully understand his self and passions.
Are you looking for more meaning and passion in your work?
It is clear
that there is a definite thirst for deeper ways of working. In workshops all
over the country, coaches are talking to thousands of people who express this
need.
One method
has been used extensively by Eric Klein and John Izzo in their book, Awakening Corporate Soul. They asked people to describe what elements were
present when they had experienced meaningful moments in their work – moments
when they felt energy, commitment, performance and satisfaction were at their
peak, “at 150-percent levels.”
Four areas
of engagement were elicited by this question, which the authors describe as
paths toward finding 150-percent levels:
1. The
path of self whereby the person finds a personal passion in his or her
work, in touch with core values and then actively brings these into the daily
work.
2. The
path of contribution whereby the person becomes engaged in the worthy goals
of his or her daily efforts.
3. The
path of craft whereby the person develops an intense enjoyment in the
moment to moment action of his or her work.
4. The
path of community which is when the person finds that connection to others
goes deeper than the job description and he or she connects to bring out the
best within one another.
Whether a
person is in touch with their spiritual side or not, even the most agnostic
among us has this basic human need to be useful and to have some sense of
meaning in work.
Maynard
Thanks for mentioning Awakening Corporate Soul in your blog. Great site and nice value for those who visit. Keep up the good work. I think you might fnd my newest book if interest-the Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die (based on 250 interviews I did with people age 60-106). See my website for more www.theizzogroup.com
Keep up the good work.
John
Posted by: John Izzo | March 09, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Maynard
Thanks for mentioning Awakening Corporate Soul in your blog. Great site and nice value for those who visit. Keep up the good work. I think you might fnd my newest book if interest-the Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die (based on 250 interviews I did with people age 60-106). See my website for more www.theizzogroup.com
Keep up the good work.
John
Posted by: John Izzo | March 09, 2008 at 11:31 AM