Soul Bytes about Soul Bytes Learning is holy, an indispensable form of purification as well as ennoblement. Rabbi Abraham Heschel What have you learned lately? What new experiences could you plan for your life this year? Do you encourage those around you to continue to learn and grow? “Living systems never really settle down.” John Holland What changes are you having difficulty accepting at this time? What steps could you take today to help you accept that change is a natural part of life? “Ten years ago I turned my head and it became my life.” Anonymous Are you procrastinating on something you said you wanted to do? Take time this week to make a list of the activities you had planned to do someday and give at least one of the items a deadline. Create an action plan to bring that dream into reality. “The voice is a powerful arbiter of our inner life, our power relationships with others, and a touchstone of faith in the life we wish to lead.” David Whyte, The Heart Aroused What is it that you are holding back from communicating? Are you in touch with what is stopping you from speaking out? What would it take for you to begin to express yourself at work? “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Can you accept that some perceptions that you have made about your co-workers may not actually be reality? Spend some time considering that some of your perceptions about those around you may actually be wrong. What would that mean to you and your relationship? Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. Buddha How do you "discover your work?" What aspects of the job you're now doing are truly "your work?" What does it mean to you to give your self with all your heart? There are voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson Can you recall a time of "solitude" when some deeper voice within you seemed to surface? What sorts of things does your own "inner voice" say at such times? When was the last time you heard the "voice of solitude?" How do you keep in touch with this voice when you "enter into the world?" If you always do what you always did—you’ll always get what you always got. Source Unknown (Quoted in The Artist’s Way at Work: Riding the Dragon by Mark Bryan with Julia Cameron and Catherine Allen) Is what you always get what you really want? Can you identify a work pattern that really works for you, one where "what you always get" is what you really want? Are there other patterns where what "you always do" results in what you don't want? Fundamentally, we work to create, and only incidentally do we work to eat. Willis Harman and John Hormann What excites you most about your work? How is it creative and nourishing for you? What changes in your workplace or work patterns might make your work even more creative? No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit. Helen Keller If money, time or duty were not obstacles, what would your own version of "discovering the secrets of the stars" or "sailing to an uncharted land" be like? What would you do to open "a new heaven to the human spirit?" What would this "heaven" look like? He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. Lao-Tzu Can you think of someone who knows himself or herself? How do you know? Are there ways you try to increase your own self-knowledge? Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is. Bhagavad Gita What do you most fundamentally believe? How do you actions reflect these beliefs? What might you do today to reflect your beliefs at work? When we neglect what matters most to us, that then becomes the matter with us. Paula M. Reeves (In her book Women’s Intuition: Unlocking the Wisdom of the Body) Under what circumstances are you tempted to "neglect what matters most" to you? How would you describe "what’s the matter with you?" How are these to related in your own life? How might you become more aware of the connections between body, heart and soul at work? …in the small matters trust the mind, in the large ones, the heart… Sigmund Freud In what ways does this aphorism work at work? In what ways doesn’t it work at work? Which are the "small matters" at work? Which "the large?" No man ever listened himself out of job. Calvin Coolidge Can you recall someone in your life who listened to you deeply? What effect did this sort of listening have on you? In what workplace situations might you become a more creative listener? What would make you a more effective listener? Courage is the capacity to meet the anxiety which arises as one achieves freedom. Rollo May In what way are you moving toward freedom? What sorts of anxieties arise as you contemplate this freedom? What changes might you make with regard to your work or your attitude toward you work that would move you toward greater freedom? What might you do to en-courage yourself in this direction? Ever since there have been [human beings, they have] given [themselves] over to too little joy. That alone, my [friends,] is our original sin. I should believe only in a God who understood how to dance. Henri Matisse What about your work gives you joy? In what way do you give yourself over "to too little joy?" What would "understanding how to dance" look like in your workplace? What might you do to encourage yourself and others to "dance" at work? "Music is a delight because of its rhythm and flow. Yet the moment you arrest its flow and prolong a note or chord beyond its time, the rhythm is destroyed. Struggle as we may, "fixing" will never make sense out of change. The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." Alan Watts, Anglican priest, philosopher, author and dean of the American Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco, 1915-1973 Can you recall a time when you tried to "fix" change? What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t tried to "fix" the situation? How could you learn to more easily "plunge into" change? “Creativity involves a vital and often fiery participation in life that does not meld easily with our wishes for control and safety.” David Whyte, The Heart Aroused What creative project have you put on hold? What would it take for you to schedule time for creativity into your busy life? “Action is greater than inaction; perform therefore thy task in life.” Bhagavad Gita (the ancient scriptures of India) Are you using your gifts in the workplace? Do you have a sense of your personal mission? What would you need to do to increase your own self-knowledge? “Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of our mind again.” Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness Under what circumstances do you become breathless at work? Do you know what triggers you emotionally in the workplace? What system would you need to create to remember to breathe deeply throughout the day? “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 How do you react to conflict in the workplace? What might you do to facilitate peace the next time a conflict arises? How can you be a model of peace throughout your day?