Day 248/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
Recently I completed a literature review investigating the relationships between an organization's culture and the people who work there.
Throughout I was looking for how well organisations meet their people's needs. And those needs seem to consistently be:
to feel a sense of belonging
to feel safe, emotionally and physically safe
to be engaged in meaningful work
After all the conjecture about corporate ladders, salary scales and incentive packages, unless these 3 fundamentals were met, high absenteeism and attrition remained unresolved.
It's not rocket science. Well, it seems it is. In 50 years of organizational research it still unproven that if you want to get the best from people you need to meet these 3 fundamental needs.
Whether you are choosing a career path, working for a paycheck, or simply starting out, make sure you have these three in the bag if you want to spend anytime there at all.
We choose our work for any number of reasons, but if we are to live a satisfying and purposeful life, it's wise to align with that purpose I spoke of in my last blog.
My career with the health sciences provided me with ample opportunity to exercise my purpose. I was lucky. I fell into it, it was suited to the times and career paths for women at the time, and it filled my cup for decades.
In late midlife I've had a change of paths, well this is my second change from my original career, into mental and emotional health.
Fundamental to living life more fully, is a stable and settled psyche. A spirit that's free to explore and experiment and grow.
Until we're free of emotional distractions, unfinished business of the passed, unresolved inner and outer conflicts, we're not free to live life fully.
My choice is aligned with my purpose of being more of me. More and more of me is about supporting others to grow.
What's your purpose? Are you living on purpose, consciously breathing life into your chosen path?
Choosing your purpose happens kind of naturally. It's what you're good at, what you're interested in, what you're doing when you're not working or thinking about it. It creeps up on you while you're trying to find your purpose!
The easiest way to find it is to just be. As soon as I begin to question my purpose I lose sight of it.
As Sarah says, there is likely to be no epiphanies, no sudden changes in fortune. It comes in fits and starts, is here one minute and gone the next until it settles in for the long haul.
Give it time, and give it purpose.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.