Most of us spend at least a third of our day at work, another third at home, probably talking about work, and the last third sleeping so we’ll be sharp for the next day’s travails. In other words, our work and colleagues are a huge part of our lives. So unless you’re independently wealthy or unemployed, it’s probably a good idea to develop some good “office family” relationships. In fact, Yoga Sutras and corresponding Yogic lifestyle techniques offer some simple to follow guidelines for improving office family relations. The real life payoff will surprise you.
Calmness brings peace
According to the Yoga Sutra I-33, “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness towards the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.”
Simply put, it’s nice to be nice. Be the type of co-worker you want everyone else to be. Be the change, for every action there is an equal reaction, and these are not just empty platitudes. A prime example of this philosophy is laughter Yoga. This ostensibly ridiculous exercise has been proven to ease stress, improve heart-rate and respiration, and of course elevate mood simply by deliberately laughing out loud and being nice to yourself for a change. It works.
By the same token, this principal can be applied at work. You might simply help someone else reach a goal or organize a project without expecting reciprocation or compromising your own schedule of course. It’s that simple. Society on the surface may not support this notion of nice, but if you look deeper, you will see it ultimately does. And there is room in the real world work place for spirituality.
Here are some tips to help make your Office Family closer and more productive:
– A co-worker bombs-out, which brings failure. You respond with compassion. Bombing-out stinks. Publicly, it stinks more. Why is it we never bomb-out in private?
– A co-worker knocks it out of the park, which brings success. You respond with delight. Now, that’s teamwork!
– A co-worker is acting terrible. This is the hard one. Honor their process without judgment or criticize. You choose to respond with disregard. Allow them their bad day. So next time you have a bad day someone will cut you some slack.
– A co-worker is having a really good day. This brings happiness. You respond with genuine friendliness. How would you want to be treated?
Today’s workplace can be a crucible of stress, fear, resentment and insecurity. With things in the work place unsure, please try not to react in fear. It will make things worse. Stand out in your office family by acting with compassion. Your work Karma will shape you a bright new future. And this kind of contribution to office morale and productivity will get the attention of your bosses. Be the type of co-worker you want to work with.
It only takes one pebble to make a ripple that will grow into a great wave.
Namaste
