Thursday, August 12, 2010

Judith Orloff in her book, Positive Energy, has ideas about how to locate your inspiration, especially in the workplace. She says, “inspiration epitomizes positive energy: it’s seminal to being joyous and rambunctiously alive. You can’t be creative without inspiration”.

To me, to be inspired is to be passionate. They are almost synonymous terms. Judith goes on to say, “Inspiration brightens the light around you and people instinctively respond. Poetry, music, and art are ways to creatively celebrate existence. To maximize our energy, we must search for our passions until we find them.”

Take an inspiration Inventory to find passionate work, hobbies and the miracle of small moments. Here’s how Judith says to do this:

The focus is on helping you to find work you truly love, or show you how to reinspire your current job, even tiny bits of it. You can start by keeping an inspiration journal, to remember all inspiring inklings.

Step #1 in a journal define the conflict about your job

Step #2 Ask yourself these questions;

Why doesn’t my job inspire me? Pinpoint the cause

Is it the particular circumstances – your boss, office politics, or irritating coworkers? Do you dwell on all the negatives, rather than looking for a piece of your work that could give you more juice?

The most basic issue: am I following my heart’s desire or mired in a career that doesn’t feel on center for me?

Can I work within the system for change? Or do I need to seek another job?

Step #3 Modify your current work situation

Re-inspire your job:

· does the lack of passion come from difficult relationship, not the work itself? If there is bad energy, try to correct the situation instead of aggravating it. Be the bigger person. Start being pleasant instead of prickly. Do everything possible to shift antagonism

· don’t expect your boss to be a mind reader. Instead of stewing in boredom or discontent, express your needs. If you know how you’d like to better your job, explore options. See if they are doable within the framework of your environment. The point is to risk. You’ll never know what’s possible until you do.

· Intuitively micro-analyse your day. Look for any aspect of your job that has some sparks. Remember what initially attracted you to the job other than money. Also notice what perks your magic up and relieves apathy or fatigue. When you hit upon it, you’ll experience a more alive feeling, an excitement, or simply a gentle interest. These are signs of life force in your work. Spend more time in these areas. Document them in your journal. If you find that having lunches with clients, and giving presentations are things that stoke your energy, whereas working in isolation brings your energy down, take note of that and see if you can reprioritize aspects of work that feed you.

· Gravitate to coworkers who inspire and energize you. Spend more time on those aspects of your job. Avoid anyone who drains you.

· Make your work about service and meaning: how to make a difference in the world. This can be as small as being kind to others and injecting friendliness into your milieu, which will nurture you too. Turn people on to ideas to better the environment and the world. Get young people connected with old people and vice versa.

· Framing your work in service keep you aligned with inspiration and passion. Whatever your job, the ethics and love with which you conduct yourself, can be of service and spread inspiration.

Step #4: consider changing jobs and/or embrace a passionate hobby

Make a move: If you’ve tried to re-inspire your job, but the situation is untenable, you may want to look for another job. It doesn’t have to be an upward move, a lateral move that re-energizes you is progress.

If your career isn’t your passion, you may be ready for a larger change.

Many people go for counseling when they are on the verge of a transition. When we mature, our interests may evolve and we deserve to do work we love. Being impelled by passion is a blessing and a gift in life, but it does arrive through investigation, following your intuition, the willingness to take risks.

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