When we become stagnant in perpetual rhythms of our days, we lose our ability to move and dance. We are tired in our bodies and we don’t fully live. The numbed motions we stagger through lack fullness and dull our senses to our very being. We forget who we are.
This is a societal syndrome that fills my coaching practice. These are people who work hard to successfully provide for their families. They are recognized leaders in their fields. They are the responsible baby-boomers and gen-x’ers who have worked every day since their teens.
But their heart is starting to tell them that there’s something more. And when they don’t listen to this inner calling and heed warning, they often are dealt a new set of cards that abruptly shifts their life course. I think this is the way of the universe.
I was recently riveted by a talk that Raj Sisodia, co-author of “Conscious Capitalism,” gave at the Success 3.0 Summit in Boulder, Colorado. Sisodia passionately expressed that we should change how businesses measure success beyond the bottomline to include the impact business has on its people. He focused on the outrageous stress we place upon employees in today’s workplace.
According to Sisodia, eighty-eight percent of employees feel their leadership doesn’t care about them. Our nation is in a health crisis whereby seventy percent of our people are impacted by some type of chronic illness – and stress is often at the very core of this problem. The stress lived by our employees – wrings their lives dry of liveliness, passion and joy – resulting in what Sisodia called an empty soul.
Sisodia exclaimed, “We send people home to their families with empty souls, and it proliferates into the destruction of families.” Ouch.
He declared that the only way to rid this outrageous stress in the workplace is through outrageous love:
- To care about those we lead.
- To understand the goodness in each person and to allow them to bring their best into the world.
- To let them know that what they do matters so that they can go home to their families and provide fertile ground for their family members to grow and thrive.
I sat on the edge of my seat and my heart shouted, “YES!” I see and speak to wildly successful people every day who have been drained of their very essence. They’ve forgotten who they are, why they matter and even what makes their hearts sing and dance.
And while I applaud Sisodia’s call to the business community with every ounce of my being – I also know that as individuals, we have to take responsibility for our own lives. We cannot continue to unconsciously float down the river of life without embracing who we are and courageously stepping into our gifts. We cannot continue to point fingers of blame. It starts with each of us as individuals.
I invite you to choose to take responsibility for the energy you put into the world and to all you touch. You can choose to fill your soul up. You can choose to fall outrageously in love with yourself – with who you are at your very essence: your strengths, your values, your passions and how you want to matter. You can choose to set your heart a’flight and live a life that feeds you and all those around you.
How do you rediscover that outrageous love for yourself? Here are a few short exercises to start the lovefest.
- Remember that little girl or boy in you. The one whose light lit up the room – whose laughter filled hearts and stories brought joy. Remember the fearlessness of your childhood, when self-doubts didn’t exist and when you could see the magic in even the smallest of nature’s wonder. Remember this. Write the story down. Share the story with another – it will bring them joy also.
- Remember a favorite time in your life. A time when you felt passion for what you were doing, where you were going and for the people around you. A time when you were excited and energized. What was the situation? What personal passions were you tapping into? What were your unique gifts, talents and values you brought to the situation? Again, write that story down and share it with another.
- Ask the person you shared your stories with to share their stories. Change starts the moment you being to ponder. You will feed into each other’s energies and passions.
- And finally, I have a few remaining Yes-to-You Strategy Sessions available this year. Grab one! During this complimentary 45-minute phone session, we will explore what lights you up and what matters most. You’ll paint the picture of what you’d like your life to look like, and identify steps to move you into action! These micro-burst consultations often ignite the spark that starts dramatic change. I love doing these, and I’d love to gift one to you before year-end.
So yes, there is room to blossom outrageous love in every aspect of your life – in your work place, with your children, your spouse, your family, your friends. It starts with you. You get to choose!
Nothing gives me more joy than being part of a journey that breaks people free of the shackles of doldrum and energy-spent lifestyles – back into their fully invigorated living selves! I love the moment of monumental breakthrough. I love the moment when a client falls madly in love with their self all over again. I love the impact this makes to all people they touch.
As Sisodia offered in his closing – “Most of us die with our song and music inside of us. What is your song and music that must be sung?” I know mine and I declare to sing it from the highest mountain I can find! Won’t you join me? We can sing, we can dance and the fire and light from our souls will create a ripple effect around the world – a world full of outrageous love.