The Ripple Effect of
Personal Growth

I was at a conference recently and had the pleasure of joining a discussion with a new group of friends. Although nothing unusual was said, the conversation made me realize how much the human race has grown and developed as a group.

Specifically, I am referring to our intuitive or spiritual nature. And as I reflect upon our past I can comfortably proclaim that we, as a collective, have evolved our spiritual nature beyond that which we had during our medieval times. Although many advances were made during the Industrial Age, our intuitive nature was not one of them. Caring only about our own backyard seems to now be a thing of the past. Our “silo mentality” is giving way to embracing diversity, creating global community and acknowledging our spiritual nature. Yet, although we have evolved, we have a ways to go.

There still seems to be a large disconnect between what we have learned as individuals and how we are treated as workers.

Initially the discussion with my newly found friends focussed on situations occurring at our respective places of work. No surprises here: too much work, not enough balance, crappy managers who need training, new wellness initiatives that may actually work, and the common question: “When are you taking holidays this year?”

As the comfort level increased, the discussion moved into other areas of interest. Although I don’t do yoga, I was intrigued with this topic. I never realized the number of poses involved and the meditative-thinking process that accompanies this activity. And then there are so many different types of yoga. Ahh. I just love diversity! Momentum increased as another person shared his experience with Reiki healing and spoke of the profound impact it had once his “energy field was cleared of blockages.” Yet another person visited a Buddist temple to enjoy the energy, and the “feeling of oneness”. He said that the sacredness of the temple quickly relaxed him causing all worries of the outside world to dissipate. Occasional visits cause him to feel at peace.

I contributed my recent remarkable experience with a talented iridologist who studies iris as the eyes reflect the state of the physical body. She took photographs of my eyes and, although I have proclaimed near perfection for years (in my own eyes, anyway!), I was amazed with what she knew about me by looking at my irises. She asked very pointed questions probing what I knew about my body to confirm what she already knew by looking my irises. No secrets here. Apparently I’ll be working with her for the next year. So much for perfection!

The level of excitement, enthusiasm and passion was quite palatable. It was definitely a different energy than when we spoke about our workplaces. I wondered aloud as to why this was the case, only to learn the reality from my newly found friends: We have to participate in work, and what we do on our own time is what we choose to do.

“Have to” and “want to”… I totally understand the difference and why this is the case, especially for some places of work.

But life is more than just this. If we make decisions about our life on the basis of “have to” or “should”, it merely means that each individual will have a second identity–one other than the work he or she does. In other words, some of us work because it pays the bills or because it is the work we are “supposed to” be doing. In this case, the work is usually inconsistent with what we really want to be doing. This conclusion, in and of itself, is not unusual. It seems our history is peppered with, “my grandfather was a coal miner, my dad was a coal miner and therefore I am a coalminer.” But, times have changed yet again. This way of being is just not good enough, anymore.

This exemplifies a new phenomenon. People are tired of the way things are, and want something more meaningful. The choices not only include the ones my new friends discussed. There is an increase in all activities, such as personal growth courses and books, meditation, yoga, alternative medicine, self-awareness, positive psychology and so on, that is causing individuals to explore and embrace their spiritual nature. We are becoming more intuitive as a result.

This is great news. Providing more care and attention to our spiritual nature gives us a heightened sense of peace, provides solutions to concerns, and our mental and physical health improves as a result. I can personally speak to these results as I’ve been meditating for years. Actually I am up at 4:45 every morning to read, meditate and write and I’ve never felt better!

Being more in tune with who we are individually and understanding our connection to each other is a profound, yet logical next step for our evolution. It will take us to the arena that our own Dr. Sandy Cotton has been occupying and sharing with you for all these years: a place of respect, trust, compassion, kindness, truth and love for each other. From this place we can truly develop healthy organizations.

If we embrace the phenomenon that an ever-growing number of people are becoming more intuitive or more aligned with their spiritual nature, then it begs the question of how this fits within our workplaces today. Furthermore, a look at whether the leadership of today are in sync with this new-age way of being is also intriguing.

And I will be pleased to address this topic in the next issue of Your Workplace.