Body Love = Business Success. Your Secret Weapon to Levelling Up!
*HEY LADS! Don’t run away, this is for you too!*
Gah!
This week I’m gonna get my geek on a bit! We’re going to begin to push the edge of how we work and think today by combining business strategy and … somatics?! Say what?! Say what, now?! Yup! I’m really stoked to share my inspiration for the week with you … so let’s dive in, shall we?!
What comes to mind when you think about your body?
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
Now, be honest …
Do you even give it a second thought other than when it’s acting up on you because of the cold that you’ve caught, or the sore back that you have, or perhaps you’ve started to notice that you’re a little rounder in places that used to be flat?
No … no .. Jessye, you’ve got it wrong. I think about my body A LOT. I go to the gym daily, I eat ALL the healthy things … I mean A LOT.
Well – sorry guys, I’m gonna be a bit of a hardass here, and say that that sorta ‘thinking’ doesn’t really count, either.
The kind of thought I’m talking about … is being 100% present to your body. Taking the time + the space to create a deeper awareness of yourself … to just check in. With no judgment. Without a need to fix or comment. Pure awareness + observation. 100% body love.
The human body is an incredibly beautiful, magnificent work of art. So seemingly simple, yet it’s an incredibly dynamic, strong + adaptively-complex system — just watch a baby on any given day. We as humans have not even begun to tap into the breadth and depth of the gift that we have at our disposal. What do we do …? We treat our bodies with very little respect. We take them for granted. We give them little thought until they become a ‘nuisance’, and even then we push ourselves beyond our limits, we push through the pain, work through the discomfort. We think that if we ignore whatever it is that’s bothering us, it will just go away. Or worse, we are so disconnected from our bodies, our bodies have to literally crack us over the head to get our attention … with the chronic this or the chronic that … for all of our smarts, we humans can be pretty dang stubborn and stupid at times.
… And … YUP, I was one of them! (We’ll get to that …!)
The j.edge | STRATEGY battle cry is transforming the heart of business — and to do that you need to start with the people. I do this work because I 100% believe that every single one of us has a superpower and that when we tap into it, we can have amazing businesses + careers, where we feel empowered and fully expressed to show up as our rockstar selves. I also know that these little shifts in perspective are gonna spread like wildfire completely transforming the landscape of what we know as ‘business’ today. It’s toe-tapping exciting! If we empower ourselves, we will empower those around us to do the same. It’s as simple as that.
And one way we do that is by listening to our bodies.
One more time for the back row …!!
One way we do that is by listening to our bodies.
Right now business is all about the brain. It’s about how fast, analytical, strategic, efficient you can be. But to me, if you want to level-up your game, you gotta bring that knowledge down into the body. You gotta couple that brain power with the power of the body as well.
Each and every one of us has our own body sense. Our own inherent body intelligence — which is our body’s specific way of communicating important information to us. As children, it was usually easier for us to pick up and discern this information because there was no lag between what we were feeling in our bodies + our reaction to what we felt. It was instant. As we became older, and we learned and adapted to the systems + social constructs around us, these signals (or information) became buried under thought processes and the brains ‘interpretations’ of those circumstances. What may have once been a crystal clear indication from the body as ‘NO’ as a child, may now be muted or distorted by our adult self’s ‘handling’ of the situation.
A Little Food For Thought …
This story is nothing new. We’ve all done things or put ourselves in situations where our body’s initial response (perhaps barely registering on a conscious level) wasn’t in alignment with how we acted, only to think better of it later. And whether intentional or not, our work environments by design further exacerbate the disconnection between mind + body, with long hours sitting at desks, with the majority of our energy focused in our heads + our fingers as we work away, staring at computers all day. Hrm … does this paint a future picture for anyone …? Perhaps, all those futuristic images of ALIENS are not as far off as we think, huh?
I’ll use an old scenario of myself as an example …
“... Being me, I’d managed to keep this up for quite some time … but before long, I was having trouble working. I had developed severe migraines that no matter what I did, just would not go away. But I had something to prove and deadlines to hit, so I continued to work through the pain.”
At a particularly crazy time in my career, I pushed my body beyond her limits. I had something to prove. I was trying to implement a change in the agency and I felt like I needed to go above and beyond to make it happen. Now, self-admittedly, I have a predisposition to being a bit of a workhorse, and this situation just exacerbated it. I’d grab my extra large tea and cinnamon raisin bagel in the morning and I’d get to work. Earphones in, music up – creating a little bubble around me so I could stay focused and not be distracted by the goings on around me (a-not-so-upside of working in an open concept space) and I would get to work on writing these complicated technical documents. I’d get up and talk to the odd person about a requirement, but I’d basically work away like this all morning until I couldn’t fight my hunger anymore. Then I’d walk across the street, get 15 minutes of fresh air, grab my food then head back to my desk to eat and continue to work away. If the document needed to be reviewed by the team the next day, I’d stay late to ensure it was solid. At home, my brain would not shut off so I’d numb out with TV. Being me, I’d managed to keep this up for quite some time … but before long, I was having trouble working. I had developed severe migraines that no matter what I did, just would not go away. But I had something to prove and deadlines to hit, so I continued to work through the pain. Eventually, I became concerned and went to my general practitioner because I was scared that I had developed something dire. Thankfully, it was not the case – the muscles in my back had become so strained that I was sent to a chiropractor to help me relieve my migraines. Easy solution. I’m fixed. No biggy, right …?! WRONG. Even then, I was so disconnected from my body I hadn’t put it all together … like Jessye wake up! You’re working crazy hours, you’re not really sleeping well (you can’t, you’re brain won’t stop firing), you’re blaring your music through your headphones ALL DAY, you’re staring at your computer ALL DAY, you’re learning about and writing super complicated documents ALL DAY, you’re eating like crap, you’re drinking a ton of tea (black tea, no less) and drinking absolutely NO water, and you’re still doing your regular job … uhm … no shit, you’ve developed migraines that won’t go away. Your body is telling you to STOP this insanity by literally incapacitating the one thing you need in order to continue your nonsense — your BRAIN! AND still!!! You won’t stop! Wow.
But peeps, straight talk. It’s not just me. I have heard SO many stories about people in crazy (and frankly, not so crazy) work situations, their bodies waving white flags at them, and they’re still unable to make the connection between what’s going on situationally and the impact that that is having on their bodies. And man, if anyone understands where you’re coming from — it’s me! I get it! Man, do I get it! It was a badge of honour to be able to say (all dramatic like) … oh well, it was a tough go but I managed to get ‘er done! Like anybody is going to remember or care that you nearly broke your body in order to get it done. Puh-leeze, people! It’s time to reframe this measure of success!
But let’s take it all one step further … How do we expect to empower ourselves when the majority of information that we need to begin empowering ourselves is cut off from us …? It’s not registering consciously because we’ve deadened that connection over time. How do we expect to make decisions that are truly in our best interest, if the information we need to make a well-informed decision is being lost in translation …? How can we be the leaders we want to be — people, who operate from a place of being fully present + embodied, that work in alignment, with respect + integrity — when we aren’t coming correct ourselves…? We don’t know how …? And don’t misunderstand, this is not from coming a place of superiority or high-handedness, but from a place of hard earned knowledge – but who is anyone to tell you what’s good for you, when they really haven’t the faintest clue what’s good for themselves... Think about that…? When we can’t seem to source the information from within, we begin to look externally for answers. Not only is that a slippery slope, but it’s not very empowered is it …? Success comes from the clarity you receive from slowing down, tuning in and getting in touch with YOU. That’s how you level up. That kind of knowledge doesn’t go away and only gets stronger over time. That kind of knowledge is priceless!
If we want to have a conversation about transforming the current nature of business, facilitating true empowerment and what that means for becoming better leaders + more successful business persons, we first have to bring it back to the body and our awareness of it. The body is the key. Finding specific ways to rebuild that connection, and deepen that awareness to our own bodies is key. More specifics on how to do that soon, promise!
This all may be a little overwhelming and sound a little out of your wheelhouse right now. That’s OK. It’s a not a good business day if the mind doesn’t get blown just a wee bit, am I right?! Ha! But in all seriousness though, this is process is an unfolding. It’s not something that you’re going to ‘get’ just like that. You took years to become the current version of you. This will take some time too. But I guarantee you (all of you - lads too!!) if this is something you choose to pursue you will discover more about yourself, your inner being + what you truly desire. If you’re curious. If you’re open. If you’re patient. If you’re willing to work in love… 100% body love, that is! ;D
Go with Heart! Go with Love, peeps!
-j.
P.S. If you want to get a simple exercise that you can do everyday to kickstart this process, make your way over to my Facebook page in the next few days when I post the update! Be sure to like it, if you love it! So you don’t miss out! xo