Imagine, for a moment, if love was unleashed where you work.
Brené Brown says, “To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly.”
What if our workplaces were where we support each other to become who we are meant to be?
What does love look like when people make mistakes? What does it look like when we disagree? What would it look like to “dare greatly” where you work?
I believe that when love is unleashed at work, people rise. When people are viewed through the lens of love – compassion, empathy, and loving boundaries become the norm.
It could be as simple as a smile and a listening ear. Love can transform any workplace.
Stop. Breathe. Picture your co-workers. How can you share love this week?
KEY THOUGHT
What does love look like when people make mistakes?
Do I love myself when I make honest mistakes in my work?
How can I practically express love towards others at work?
Where does joy come from?
Joy isn’t something that just happens. We have to choose to partner with joy and then take it with us wherever we go.
If we rely on our work to bring us joy – we will probably be disappointed. But if we take it into our work – everything changes.
Academic and theologian Henri Nouwen said, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
If we choose joy – we’ll find it in the most surprising places.
The secret to joy is that it’s not dependent on where we are or what we are doing. Joy is a state of being that finds its source in a higher power.
Stop. Breathe. Connect today with the source of joy and take it with you into the week.
KEY THOUGHT
Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.
Do I give myself time to be joyful at work?
How can I be a catalyst for joy in my workplace?
Can work be a place of peace?
Imagine your workplace with an atmosphere of peace. Imagine a place where people enter and feel their worries wash away.
What would it feel like to work in peace? What would it look like to choose to be a person of peace in your workplace?
Peacemakers are not doormats. They’re people who bring reconciliation and restoration. They’re the diplomats who walk into the middle of misunderstanding and hatred in the opposite spirit.
Pope Francis declared that “Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare.”
Peace is a gift that you can give to those you work with. To be a person with an atmosphere of peace is a blessing to all you encounter.
Stop. Breathe. Consider how you might connect with peace and share it this week.
KEY THOUGHT
Peaceful people bring reconciliation and restoration.
Can I maintain a sense of inner peace while at work?
How can I help set a rhythm in my workplace that enables a more peaceful environment?
When was your patience last tested?
A wise person once said, “A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves you one thousand moments of regret.”
Are you patient with yourself? How’s your self-talk? If you have no patience for yourself, you’ll find it hard to be patient with others.
A critical spirit in the workplace is the enemy of productivity. It causes others to rush projects that deserve more time and considered attention. It sends anxiety levels through the roof and stifles creativity.
Patience, by its nature, takes time and intentionality. It doesn’t come by accident. We have to decide to become friends with patience.
Patience isn’t about being a pushover, and it’s not about rewarding laziness.
Who needs your patience at work today?
Stop. Breathe. Choose to share patience with your co-workers today.
KEY THOUGHT
Patience, by its nature, takes time and intentionality.
Can I be patient in the face of rushed decisions at work?
OR
Can I exercise patience even as others rush decisions?
Is there a co-worker who needs my patience today?
Kindness is the key to unlocking hearts. An act of kindness at work will do more to change the atmosphere than all the productivity programs we can implement.
Kindness doesn’t rest on the behaviour of another; it’s entirely dependent on the one bestowing kindness. It may be costly for the giver, but genuine kindness doesn’t look for repayment.
Albert Schweitzer declared that “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
Kindness is not naive. It simply chooses a better way. Kindness doesn’t deny the presence of hardship, cruelty, or injustice. It simply comes in the opposite spirit.
Stop. Breathe. Consider how you can spread kindness to those you work with today.
KEY THOUGHT
Kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.
Do I know how to be kind to myself?
Is there someone at work who needs an act of kindness?
Goodness is love in action. It finds its expression as we look to the good of others; when we lift up those who are downtrodden and care for those who can do nothing for us in return.
It’s been said that “Goodness is beauty in its best estate.”
But what does it mean to express goodness at work? Is it when we choose not to retaliate when someone is unkind? Is it working diligently when no one is looking? Is it taking a moment to check in with the co-worker who is doing it tough?
I believe it’s all of the above and more. Goodness is expressed when we choose to love instead of seeking vengeance; when we seek to live at peace with others.
Stop. Breathe. How can you be an expression of goodness in the lives of others?
KEY THOUGHT
Goodness is expressed when we choose to love instead of seeking vengeance; when we seek to live at peace with others.
Do I believe in goodness as a key part of my life?
How can I express goodness to those around me at work?
What does it mean to be faithful? We understand faithfulness in relationships – but what about our work?
I recently read a great quote from Daniel Allen, Jr. “You demonstrate faithfulness when you show up, when you keep your word, when you do the work.”
Faithfulness is about our character. It’s about staying true to our word – even when it’s hard, even when others are faithless.
In the end, faithfulness is about loving ourselves and others.
The Bible says, “if we are faithless, God is faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”
Throughout millennia, faithfulness has been regarded as a selfless trait, a part of the divine nature.
Stop. Breathe. What does it look like for you to be faithful – at home, at work – as part of who you are?
KEY THOUGHT
“You demonstrate faithfulness when you show up, when you keep your word, when you do the work.”—Daniel Allen Jr.
Am I faithful in my work, or do I need an upgrade in faithfulness?
How can I encourage faithfulness as a fundamental aspect of workplace culture?
Gentleness is one of the most undervalued qualities in many organisations.
It’s often seen as a weakness instead of what it really is—strength under control.
In the 17th Century, Saint Francis de Sales declared, “nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.”
Those who intentionally embrace gentleness know their value and worth. They give time, space, and atmosphere for others to value themselves.
A gentle person knows that true strength is not in our ability to coerce or bully but in celebrating our shared humanity.
Gentleness isn’t easily intimidated but seeks to understand as much as to be understood.
Stop. Breathe. Let gentleness guide you in your interactions at work, home – everywhere you go.
KEY THOUGHT
Gentleness is strength under control.
Is there a sense of gentleness in my daily work life?
In what practical ways could I bring gentleness into my workplace?
Self-control is a superpower at work!
While we don’t always have control over situations, we can control how we respond.
When we choose to partner with self-control, things change for the better. When self-control is in short supply, gossip happens. We have the power to change the atmosphere of our workplaces simply by refusing to participate in unhelpful conversations about others.
An ancient philosopher observed that “Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.”
When we’re secure in our worth, we can champion others. When we exercise restraint, we make room for other people to rise and flourish.
Self-control is an act of love that builds trust and invites people into an authentic relationship.
Stop. Breathe. How can you show love by partnering with self-control?
KEY THOUGHT
Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.—Unknown
Am I courageous enough to exercise self-control in trying circumstances at work?
Who can I talk to about lifting self-control higher in our work culture?
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