03rd November 2020
Inspiring your people in a changing world – Take a breather
To inspire is to inhale.
To fully breathe in the experience of your living connection to your work. To feel the dance of your fingertips on the keyboard, the grip of the package in your hand, or the incredible weightlessness of being mindfully engaged in this very moment of work with no felt separation between self and task or self and other.
To know that whatever you engage with, also engages you, and everything outside this moment of work is outside this moment — so don’t give it too much heed until it is time to actually engage with it.
You do not inspire with big speeches, tired cliches, or mindless positive self-talk. You inspire by being dynamically present in the conversation and connection right in front of you — right now.
Always know that inspiration is never more than a breath away and that the lack of inspiration is not only stifling, it is suffocating.
Welcome your inward breath, yet do not try to hold it. Exhale your stress, fear, and tension that masks your authentic connection to this very moment of work.
And after the ephemeral and impermanent moment has passed, simply inhale and inspire yourself yet again, and again, and again — surfing the inspirational waves both inside of you and outside of you that gives meaning, purpose, and contribution to your work and career.
This blog is a part of the IW Official Guide: World Mental Health Day Supporting the workplace during the pandemic & beyond. Download the full guide here.