Bringing the light

I hear a good deal of pain and frustration from people these days about their workplaces. It seems most everyone is doing more than one job (and not getting compensated for the added work) as companies downsize but don't cut back on the work load. The workers who are left have to pick up the slack.

More and more employees simply have their heads down and just keep pushing through, attempting to "do it all," knowing if they complain, they will be told how lucky they are to have a job and that they need to just suck it up. And that's true. They are fortunate to have a job. But they don't feel so fortunate when they can't keep up with the work load and when the environment has grown so toxic and unfriendly. It reminds me of the cartoon I saw years ago where the boss was beating an employee. The caption read: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

We can do better than this. I don't know what the answers are, but I do know we can do better. And I do know that this is not the type of motivation that causes people to do their creative and best work. I wonder whether we could actually begin a national conversation about this? I know, I know, there are so many things about which we need national conversations! But we do have to begin somewhere.

For now, perhaps we each simply need to do our part to add more light and love to the world since there seems to exist plenty of darkness and toxicity. Perhaps compassion for each other would be a good place to begin. What do you think?

Toxicity & serenity: Making choices

Last weekend I attended a wonderful and soul-filling retreat that really focused on tending to our inner life, awaking to the beauty of life all around, reducing the toxicity and stress in our life and staying grounded and serene. After several days at a wonderfully slow pace that allowed time for a little (but extremely on-point) input from our retreat leader and a lot of time for walking, journaling, deep conversations with other retreatants, napping and just sitting in meditation, I came home so centered and relaxed.

The next day as I walked on my treadmill while watching the news on TV, I found myself getting all tensed up with stories about political fights (what's new, right?!), murder and mayhem. I could feel my serenity and groundedness slipping away. I wasn't ready to let that go and slip right back into the stress I feel when I get all caught up in the toxicity of news coverage. I opted to shut off the TV and just shake off the negativity.

I know I want to stay informed so at some point, I'll be ready to hear the news again. But for now, I just need to take a break. I need  a time-out! I want to keep this feeling of being centered and calm. I like the way it allows me to be more generous-hearted, loving, forgiving and compassionate. I want to be this way more often. Now to find the right balance for me....

Just walk away

"You should calmly walk away from a heated discussion when the words being traded cease being reasonable. Getting burned by someone's vitriol can only happen if they are successful enough to ensnare you in their little corner of the world."

This is another saying by the inspirational author Dodinsky that really speaks to our power to choose—not unlike the saying quoted in yesterday's blog.

Have you ever gotten into an argument that turned circular—and you could see it was going nowhere but down? Yes, me too. Or it turned nasty very quickly—and you were on the receiving end of some awful spewing? Best to just walk away when that happens. Don't get caught into a web of toxicity.

Always remember: You get to choose. Whether it's about who your friends are, how they treat you or about getting ensnared in negative, dead-end arguments and behavior, you can choose what's healthy for you. You can choose what's life-giving—and what's not. Again, it's the power to choose. And it's yours.