Tools & Tips
Connect With Your Spirit At Work

Motto Magazine
March/April 2007

It's not just good for your soul, it's good for business, as Lynn. A Robinson shows.

Learning to trust your gut at work is much more than simply paying attention to your hunches. It involves looking within for the answers, living life with courage, faith, patience and trust. It also involves connecting with your spirit through daily practice and taking action on wisdom you receive.

Connecting with your spirit at work is apparently good for business as well. A study by the highly respected Wilson Learning Co. found that 39% of the variability in corporate performance is attributable to the personal satisfaction of the staff. Spirituality was cited as the second most important factor in personal happiness (after health) by the majority of Americans questioned in a USA Weekend poll, with 47 percent saying that spirituality was the most important element in their happiness.

What are some of the ways to connect with your spirit at work?

Take a nature break
Take a few moments to step outside, rain or shine, and go for a short walk. You may see an unusual cloud formation, a resilient weed pressing through the pavement, feel inspired by the birds soaring in the sky, hear a child's laugh or be especially appreciative of the clean air you breathe. Simply being away from your desk may be enough to open your mind to come creative and innovative solutions.

Focus on gratitude
We spend much of our lives waiting. Whether it's for a taxi, for the elevator to take us to our office, for a meeting to begin, for the traffic to move during rush hour. When you find yourself with a few moments on your hands think silent thoughts of gratitude for all that you have. Spirituality.com surveyed more than 1,000 people on this topic. Over 74 percent express gratitude openly by displaying a positive attitude through written or verbal expressions of thanks, praying, volunteering or acknowledging a higher power for the good in their lives. "These findings speak volumes about the state of the human spirit," said Chris Raymond, spirituality.com executive editor and general manager. "Something as simple and natural as feeling and living gratitude can be the essential spiritual ingredient for improving any situation, and lead to an overall happier, healthier life."

Learn to meditate
Don't just do something... sit there! Companies as diverse as McKinsey, Deutsche Bank, Hughes Aircraft, Yahoo! and Apple are all getting in on the meditation bandwagon. They're being won over, in part, by findings at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Massachusetts and the Mind/Body/Medical Institute at Harvard University - all of whom conclude that meditation increases brainwave activity, enhances intuition and improves concentration.

Ask your intuition
The next time you find yourself fraught with anxiety, check in with your higher self. Get in the habit of asking questions of your intuition and expecting a reply. You might ask, "What could I do to feel calmer about the meeting this afternoon?" In response, you may get an image of a quiet lunch in the park by your office. That's one of the ways your intuition responds - through images. Your intuition is connected to a higher wisdom that always knows what you need and provides the answers to even the toughest problems.

Gut truster tip
Intuition is an invisible intelligence that animates our world and provides wisdom to guide our lives. Take small moments throughout your day to simply check in with your inner guidance.