Yesterday, I engaged in a powerful Voice Dialogue session with a client to help her to give voice to various parts of herself that felt conflicted and at odds. And it was remarkable to witness the level of peace and integration that resulted from simply giving each part of her a platform and opportunity to speak its truth.
This is one of the most powerful coaching tools in my arsenal and it’s powerful because once an individual can find their way towards feeling integrated and whole, typically space is created for them to truly find their way.
I mention this experience because it is so symbolic of what needs to happen for many individuals in the world of work. According to the latest Gallup Study, close to 70% of Americans are disengaged at work. And as crazy as it sounds, they are disengaged because they are “disengaged” . . . as in “disconnected”.
Most people need to witness a revival, a merging and an integration of their whole selves in their careers. They need to stop negotiating the truth of who they are and allow their heart and souls to get back in the game.
Listening to My Own Soul
When I first started doing the work that I do, I continuously negotiated the terms. All I wanted to do was have a conversation with individuals about how bringing their full selves into their work was the best medicine that they could deliver to themselves and the world.
And I knew that in order to have this conversation, I would need to be able to use a language that kept me honest and aligned to the real heart of my message. But everyone I counseled and coached with insisted that I adjust my message, my presence and my voice to make it more palatable for the corporate world.
And so I did. And it honestly felt like I’d spent about 2 or 3 years wandering in the wilderness, chasing my tail while I tried to find some version of myself and my message that was permissible. And the irony is, in my attempt to get others to bring the fullness of who they are into their work, I was simultaneously denying that for myself.
And then, I started to meet other heart-based ambassadors and noticed that the dialogue around things like the value of vulnerability and authenticity in the workplace was shifting in a significant way. More heart in the workplace was not just a creation of my own imagination, it was a reality that wanted to be manifested in some small way through me and my work. All it needed from me was a “yes” and a commitment to fully model the message.
And so, over time, I’ve slowly given myself permission to unapologetically own my own message and allow my soul full expression in the process. And on this, my birthday, I decided that I wanted to make a public commitment to do so even more.
Waiting for the world to be fully ready is nonsensical and counterintuitive. If the world was fully ready and already embodying more heart in the workplace, then there’d be no need for the work.
My Birthday Wish
My birthday wish is for you to join me as I reaffirm my commitment to allow all of me into my work and trust in my soul’s ability to take the lead. If you are in that 70%, then nothing will shift for you until you do the same.
Have you relegated your soul to a corner while you half-heartedly stumble through life, groping for the light switch in the dark? When you carry your soul with you, your soul illuminates the path. Your soul is your light.
So, if you want greater success in your career, invite your soul back onto the stage and demand that your job expand to make room for it.
Release the behaviors that prevent you from delivering your best self in your work. Stop negotiating yourself out of the picture.
Get brutally honest about your true essence and your offerings and allow it to flow from you as if your very livelihood depended on it because it does. Stress and disease are what result when you deny your soul its rightful place in your life and in the world.
Own your own presence. Own your gifts. Own your vulnerabilities and your struggles.
Compassionately embrace your insecurities and stand unapologetically in the truth of who you are.
The one thing I know to be true is that the world will agree with whoever and whatever you say that you are. Decide today that you are wholeheartedly you.
If all of this feels like a tug at your heart but you genuinely have no idea where to start, then I invite you to take the smallest of steps by sitting with me, in conversation about how to find your way towards a path that will allow you to feel more whole and complete in your career.
Sometimes, just taking one small action or doing just one thing differently can set you on a different course. Christina Baldwin said, “When you’re stuck in a spiral, to change all aspects of the spin you only need to change one thing.” That one thing for you could be as simple as having a strategy session with me to simply discuss the possibilities.
So, just click on this link to schedule a time to explore. No obligations. No expectations. It will simply be your sacred space to initiate a move towards a life and a career that includes all of you. Yep, that’s my birthday wish. Thanks so much for granting it. :)
Owning Change Quote of the Week: “Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.” – Veronica A. Shoffstall
Monica Moody
Monica Moody
