Work as devotion
Devotion from Latin devovere= dedicated by vow, from ancient Latin, ‘act of consecrating by vow’
Mindlessness is going about things without deep thought or connection. It’s not that we do not think; it is that our thinking and actions are not anchored in our body, heart and soul. A disconnection from heart and intuition. The ‘walking head’ experience. Consequently, mindlessness is a feeling of not being tethered or earthed.
To be mindlessly engaged in our work and business is a tragedy. When only a very small fragment of our whole selves shows up at work. And the remainder of the pieces of ourselves, where do we get to express those, if at all? Where do we live wholeheartedly, wholebodily, wholemindfully?
To create businesses that devote themselves to things that are absent soul, spirit, or heart is a tragedy. Profit for profit’s sake is absent soul.
I love the word devotion, it has a sound and a depth to it that evokes something lost and yearned for. Remove any religious residue and hold the word to its origins…dedicated by vow. (A vow is of higher order than a promise)
To what are you devoted? To what is your work devoted? Imagine if your work was a devotion to something that truly nourished you to the core of your being. Or if you built businesses that are devoted to something that serves all of humanity both now and for generations?
Is there a place to experience scarcity when our work is saturated with this kind of devotion?
February 25th 2024
Photo taken February 26th 2017
