Dear Friends,
The other day I was talking to a client of mine for my nursing business. This was a young woman in her 20’s, a single mom with an adorable 2 year old girl. As I was sitting there, listening to her talk to her doctor, I tuned into a part of her that felt very insecure. She presented herself as a very gregarious fun loving person, which I believe she is, but I could feel how it covered up another part of herself. I saw pictures of her life growing up and how she became an overly responsible person as she had to take care of her siblings. This created her to split off another part of herself which prevented her from being authentic and peaceful. At the end of the appointment I felt drawn to telling her the positive qualities I saw in her. I felt drawn to encourage her to feel good about herself, and that I could see how much she had to offer the world and bring to a new career path she was pursuing. I told her this 3 times, and each time I could see this message sink in a little deeper until she had tears in her eyes. She thanked me and hugged me and told me how much she needed to hear that.
The reason I am sharing this experience is to share how important it is to bring more of ourselves into our world and our workplace. Over the years, I have judged my nursing work as not being as important or as meaningful to me as when I wear my “healer hat”. I know that nursing is considered a healing profession but I had split off from this work the deeper part of me that could see/hear/feel things on a much deeper level than the traditional nursing role. I am realizing more and more that I cannot continue to leave one part of myself at the door while I show another part of myself to the world. All this does is create dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
On my way home from this appointment, I went to the deli at one of the grocery stores where I like to shop. The young man, about 17 years old, who was serving me in the deli was singing as he scooped up my food request. I smiled and thanked him for my food and for singing to me. He smiled a beautiful smile back to me and stated that he had to do this as it kept him from thinking about “other things”. I didn’t question what the other things were but told him I thought that was very smart of him. I told him that if singing makes him happy that is a really important tool to use in life to keep him from thinking thoughts that would make him unhappy. I told him that it gave an added benefit of making other people happy as well. This brought me another bright smile from him.
After this encounter, I thought what a wonderful experience to see a young man using such a positive tool to shift his world. He was bringing more of himself to his workplace and it not only benefited himself but it did me as well! He brought his soul to work and didn’t feel the need to censor this part of himself. How beautiful is that!
At my gym there is a lovely young Vietnamese man, who works the front desk. Every time I go into the gym, he asks about my day and gives me a wonderful smile. I feel a special affinity with this young man and have felt that he and I have had a past lfe/lives together. He has a very warm, loving energy that I see him share with people every day at the gym. I know after talking with him that this is not his dream job. However, he still brings as much of himself to his work as he can. I often see him smiling and conversing with other members. I have felt called to engage him a little more about his life.
He shared with me that he is saving money to start a business in his country. I shared with him some information I knew about the herb he wanted to grow and the benefit of it and made a suggestion for a complementary herbal plant to the one he was thinking of growing. He told me this particular herb could be grown very easily in his country. I suggested that he might want to add this new herb to his business plan. His eyes were bright when thinking of this but then became a little cloudy as he discussed his financial fears. I encouraged him to visualize his dream and feel it working for him. I felt drawn to telling him I believed in him. I told him I was looking forward to his wonderful unfolding journey. As I walked away, I told him again, I believed in him. Intuitively, I felt he needed to hear this. I saw his eyes enliven once again after this exchange.
Every day of our lives, in every situation, we have an opportunity to give back to the world. We have an opportunity to bring more of who we are into each and every experience. We are all healers/intuitives and mystics in our own right. We all know what is needed when we are with another person. All we have to do is show up and re-claim those parts of ourselves we leave on the doorstep when we go out into the world, whether it be at work, the gym or at play. Perhaps your gift is to make people laugh. Perhaps your gift is to bring comfort, perhaps it is to help another person feel truly loved or truly heard. Perhaps you are really good at helping people to organize themselves, etc. The point is that there is no limit to how we can show up to bring more peace, love, joy and comfort to another person’s life. It doesn’t take a lot of time, money or effort. It just requires showing up fully; body, mind and spirit.
Next time you go to work grumbling about another work day and how frustrated you are to be going to that “soul stealing” company, remind yourself that you are the one who leaves your soul behind when you walk into the workplace. The company is not stealing it from you. I urge you to bring your smile, your sense of humor, your compassion or whatever it is that is your special gift to share, to your job and your work site. If you are in a meeting, talking to a coworker, greeting the public, or any other task that feels lifeless to you, stop for a moment and ask yourself, where is your soul, your spirit? Did you leave it on the doorstep before you walked into work. If so, invite it in and share that part of yourself with the world.
Make another person smile, or laugh, comfort them, bring them a little piece of that light that is your own to share! I promise you, I really really promise you, that if you do this very thing, if you bring more of that amazing gifted person that you are to your workplace, to your life no matter where you are, in order to bring more joy , love and laughter to whomever you encounter, than you WILL be happier and more content no matter where you are or what you are doing. This might not change your work to be your dream job but it will change your life for the better! Not only will you do this, but you will be like the young men at the deli and at the gym, and make another person’s life a little better as well! Now, how beautiful is that!
Much love to you dear friends as you journey this ordinary road to the extraordinary!
Rosemary Veilleux
thank you for the lovely reminder of how to go about our days, in order to be happy and to give happiness.