Job Performance Affirmations

A finance professional recently contacted me requesting a personalized meditation to remove blocks in his career. The challenges he encounters are familiar to all of us, no matter our vocation, age or gender. Affirmations are not a cure-all. We have to be careful to do the deep work required to move past our personal blocks. However, affirmations are a powerful way to work with self-defeating thought patterns.

In Yoga philosophy, the concept of pratipaksha bhavana, replacing harmful thoughts by cultivating opposite thoughts, is similar to what modern psychotherapists often do with their clients in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

Because the affirmations I wrote for my client are so universally applicable, I decided to share them here. I hope they'll prove useful for some or all of my readers.

I fully embrace all aspects of my Self. I am a unique being, interconnected with all other beings. I am a gift and an asset to my brothers and sisters on planet Earth. I am a gift and an asset to my family. I am a gift and an asset to myself. I experience the beauty and bounty of existence through my individual self: my consciousness, my body, my senses and my intellect. I am connected to the power that drives the Universe through my highest Self. 

I am an infinite being, a fractal of the creative power behind the ever-expanding Universe. I am limitless in my capacity for change and development. My work is an integral part of my contribution to the flow of life on Earth. I am here to do my work and to do it well. I do not hesitate to accomplish my goals each day. Power flows through me to accomplish all I set out to do. My confidence originates from deep within my being, and not from my limited ego. No one can erode my confidence because it’s timeless and limitless. Lack of confidence is an ego-based illusion and I am far greater than any ego could ever be. Confidence is my inalienable right as a limitless being. I claim my confidence in all I do. 

My vocation is a powerful way to bring prosperity to myself and others. I embrace prosperity. Prosperity is a natural right of mine as part of my limitless nature. I do not limit the flow of prosperity. I channel the flow of prosperity for the betterment of myself and all beings. I disregard distractions, doubts, hesitation and indecision with ease. When I embrace any opportunity, my work flow is unhindered. I am my own best ally and I place full trust in my instincts. 

I experience a variety of sensations and emotions in my work. All of these feelings are the byproducts of creative energy. Sensations and emotions do not distract me from accomplishing my goals. If anything, sensations and emotions are powerful catalysts for growing my business. I move freely through sensations and emotions. I move freely through any blocks or distractions. 

My vocational success is unlimited. As an infinite being, my growth is guaranteed. My growth will manifest through my vocational success. As I succeed in my vocation, I will bring prosperity to myself, to my family, and to the world. 

Emological Balance

Many of us have a tendency to construct an artifical barrier between our emotions and our capacity for reasoning. This goes back to the foundation of Western philosophy; Plato and Aristotle saw reason as superior to and separate from emotion. When we look at the organization and functioning of our brains, however, we see that even though specific parts of the brain control logical thinking vs. emotional origination, these parts of the brain must work in tandem. Also, our brain synapses and neurotransmitters all work in harmony, connecting the disparate parts, to give us full functionality.

I'm free writing here as part of a 40 day writing practice, and my goal isn't to start breaking down brain science for anyone reading this. If you have not already, you can and hopefully will go and learn about the limbic system, the frontal lobe, the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and every other part of our amazingly complex brains. Please also read about neurotransmitters and connectivity between the different parts of our brains. It's worthwhile to mention here that the frontal lobe performs functions related to logical thinking, emotions and personality as well as emotional regulation. It's not accurate to say that emotions come entirely from one part of the brain and reasoning comes from another part. 

Today the brief point I want to make is that it would be beneficial if we could refrain from our tendencies towards reductionism and over-simplification with respect to human logic and emotion. Our emotions are one part of our capacity for reasoning. They're not separate. Instinct and intuition are inseparable from emotion and originate in the same parts of the brain (the limbic system, for example). Our emotions are valuable and merit inclusion in our communication with each other. Emotions have a place in the classroom, in business meetings and in professional forums. Yes, they do. Our culture teaches us to continually suppress and undervalue our emotions, preferring a calm demeanor and decisions based on rational thinking. 

There is no question that a calm state of mind is better than disruptively emotional behavior for any type of collective work setting. Also, if someone is trying to make a wise decision, coming to a neutral and balanced mental position is desirable. Cue the frontal lobe of the brain to set all of this up for us! 

However--and it's a big however--we need to be careful not to reject emotionally charged communication and the products of strong emotions in our interactions with each other. We readily share emotions with family members and close friends, but in our wider communities and what we consider work spaces, emotions must be regulated. We can regulate emotions while simultaneously valuing them as contributing to our growth as individuals and as a society. Maintaining a healthy awareness of and respect for our emotions truly enhances our capacity for sound decision making and problem solving. In other words, we can't have one without the other. 

One last coiniciding point here is that in our society, women have been traditonally viewed as more emotional than men and resultingly weaker. The way we view emotions and women are most definitely connected, like it or not. If our society shifts towards valuing emotional sharing as a part of fostering growth and positive change, women's voices will be powerful beacons. 

Our society needs to take an increasingly more holistic approach to problem solving, bringing more cohesion to our collective attitudes and actions. We need fewer barriers between masculine and feminine, logical and emotional, artistic and pragmatic endeavors. In our quest for holism and unity, let's start noticing our tendencies to parse out these seemingly opposing forces and try to witness how they're interwoven and inseparable. 

Where Love Leads

LO-VE and LO-YAL share the same beginnings.

The Ancient Greeks had many words for love:
Eros: Sexual Passion
Philia: Deep Friendship
Ludus: Playful Love
Pragma: Longstanding Love
Storge: Love of Family
Philautia: Love of Self
Agape: Love of Everyone

All are beneficial and from one alone, all can flow. Love is fruitful. Creation springs from love. In our lifetimes may we live all forms of love, revering each one for what it produces.

To what and whom do you give your love and loyalty? I salute all those who endure the burning fires of commitment, refining desires and dreams into a lasting testament to love. Love can seem elusive. But love is all there is.

May we find the love in each encounter with another.