What is inspiration in the workplace?
Thanks for this question. Truth is, there is no such thing as inspiration. You can’t create it, do it or have it. You can’t cause it or lose it.
Inspiration is what happens when circumstances are right. Like meditation, you can’t meditate either. Don’t believe anyone who tells you they will teach you how to meditate, they are not being honest. They never meditated really.
All we can do is create the circumstances in which meditation might happen. And similarly with Inspiration, we can only create the circumstances for inspiration to happen.
How do we create the circumstances for inspiration to happen in an office.
1. In the zone. People walking around interrupting each other without warning is the opposite to “in the zone”. Even a set of earphones with the right music (individual choice) can block out ambient disturbance and create a “zone” for someone. About 20 -30 minutes in “the zone” takes a person into inspiration.
2. Happiness. Dark moods, anger, negativity and downers kill the space for inspiration. Up beat, positive, affirmative and honest environments allow the nervous system to relax, let go defences and this is essential for inspiration.
3. Confidence. We must have a sense of purpose in order for inspiration to occur. That means simply a belief that we are “on the right track” with whatever we are doing. Designing a carpet, writing a letter, answering the phone, no matter what we do we must believe that this activity is causing the outcome our boss, or project demands. Uncertainty kills inspiration.
4. Challenge. Many people avoid challenge in the thought that calm creates inspiration. But this is false. Calm kills inspiration. There must be a sense of demand, urgency, intent, outcome and there must be constant checks of progress against this.
5. Feedback. Inspiration dies in uncertainty. We said this already. But there is more. Feedback means a monitoring systems that rewards incompetence. Rewards effort over results. This is not emotional platitudes but an honouring of genuine effort. If people feel a sense of direction, they let go of the withholding patterns that cause ego defences – which in turn would block inspiration.
6. Hierarchy. There are allot of feminist who argue for equality in the world. This is a myth if translated into structures of management. Equality relates to the human rights of every individual. Here it has validity. Equality in an office is also a matter of human right. But the defiance of hierarchy in a structure is man hate. Man hate means that an individual cannot be humble to authority. Whether that authority is masculine or feminine, that individual who cannot respect authority hates masculinity. This means that individual has become obsessed with self expression, self determination, self opinions, self feelings. This defies the most potent law of nature. The law of the one and the many, humility to a greater power.
In the office we are humble to the boss. If we don’t like the boss, we must leave, not complain or defy them. In society the laws are the boss. If we defy them, there can be no structure, no order, no safety. In relationship, loving kindness is the boss. In our personal lives health is a boss, (if we are not healthy) but when we have health, a life with purpose becomes the boss. If we cannot respect our teachers, we cannot respect our Gods. We must learn to compartmentalize our bosses. The boss at work is not our boss in relationship.
Leadership is essential. If a feminist fights against leadership in business because of human rights, then this might be healthy. If they fight because they hate authority figures, then there will never be inspiration in this business and people will burn out.
7. Energy. In the office, people eat shit food, drink allot of coffee, take chocolate, or, many starve until lunch time and then overeat, and fizzle for the afternoon. Blood sugar is the key to energy management. Blood sugar is more important than environment. Low blood sugar puts people into reactiveness and defensive mindsets. High blood sugar makes people overt, loud and aggressive. Finding the balance is critical. Nuts, fruit, substantial proteins. This whole science is ignored in our society obsessed with body weight control, or blood types or whatever. When blood sugar is high or low there cannot be inspiration.
Hope you find this cool.
Live with Spirit