The Rippling Impact Of Your Work

When you consider just how many hours of your life you spend paying attention to your work, it makes sense for you to periodically meditate on its potential positive influence. The mystic poet Kahlil Gibran once said: Work is Love made visible. In this meditation, I invite you to imagine the possibility of your work as a gift of love with rippling impact to the world.

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Jeffrey Davis.

I research and work with leaders,

Creatives,

Entrepreneurs,

And workers in a number of fields to understand how we can thrive in times of challenge and change.

And today I'm offering you a guided meditation on the rippling impact of your work.

That might sound like an odd focus for meditation,

Yet when you consider just how many hours of your life you spend paying attention to your work,

It might make a little more sense for you periodically to meditate upon the potential positive influence of your work,

Right?

Work is love made visible,

Writes the mystic poet Khalil Gibran.

And this meditation today invites you to imagine that possibility,

To imagine your work as a gift of love with rippling impact you may never see.

Okay,

Close your eyes and observe your posture.

Let your posture feel at ease,

Yet sturdy.

Just enough lift in your torso so you feel more aware of your body.

And notice your visual playing with your eyes closed.

You likely will see a mix of dark with light sensations.

Now draw your inner awareness to your heart space and at the center of your chest.

Feel a sense of openness in this heart space.

Imagine a small circle in this heart space.

Within that circle visualize yourself engaged with your most meaningful work,

Your best work.

See yourself actively engaged.

This is the work that most lights you up.

Are you at a desk?

Behind a computer?

Outdoors?

On a stage?

In a conference room?

On a video conference?

What are you doing?

Are you reading or researching?

Are you pulling together information and ideas?

Having conversations or meetings?

Are you presenting?

Facilitating?

Leading?

Coaching?

Or are you writing or creating something?

Just observe any flashes of details or images that arise.

And notice any warmth you feel when engaged in this work.

Notice if you feel joy or other emotions that elevate you.

In these ways your work is a gift of sorts to you.

Now imagine the circle in your heart expands by another ring.

And imagine within that ring now your heart's work is being received directly by someone,

Perhaps for whom you have made this work.

That might be a manager,

A colleague or client,

Your audience,

Your children even.

Focus on just one person if possible.

See that person in your heart space receiving your work.

And imagine your work is elevating them.

That your work makes them just a bit more happy,

More joyful,

More hopeful,

More open-minded or connected than they were a few minutes before receiving your work.

Observe how that feels in your body mind to witness this person's elevated response.

Now imagine the circle in your heart expands by another ring.

And imagine that this person in turn positively affects other people or even a group of people in part because of your work.

For instance,

If you have designed a slide deck for a speaker,

Now your work is affecting that speaker's audience.

Bring that group of people into your expanded heart space and observe these people as being just a bit happier,

More joyful or hopeful,

More engaged with life.

Their suffering alleviated just a little more in part because of the rippling impact of your work.

Observe how that feels in your body mind to witness a group of people's elevated response,

A group of people you may never meet.

Finally,

Imagine the circle of your heart opens wide like this guy.

For all of those people who are touched directly and indirectly by the gift of your work,

Strangely spread the elevating effects,

The positive impact of your work.

You may see your work rippling as if spreading through the sky like sound waves,

Like birdsong,

Like sun rays.

Observe how that feels in your body mind to witness the rippling impact of your work.

Okay,

Bring your awareness back to this breathing body and open your eyes.

You just don't know how your work today will influence and impact other people in ways you may never see and on people you may never meet.

So why not regard your work today as love made visible?

Why not make,

Present and deliver your work with that intent?

Well,

I hope you find this meditation valuable and that you return to it whenever you doubt the difference your work makes.

I genuinely hope this meditation itself ripples in ways that elevate you today and tomorrow.

Be well.

Reviews

Thank you for your always inspiring and thoughtful teachings 🙏

I enjoyed this meditation. It gives me a perspective on my work that I needed today.

Jeffrey, this meditation is such a great way to start a work day. The quote from Kahail Gibran “… love made visible” and the visualization of the ripple effect give significance to everyday action. Somehow, each act of work becomes an act of love and vibrates through all beings. Beautiful! 💖✨

Thoughtdlful, innovative and energising. Easy to accept. Satisfying.

Uplifting. Makes ones contribution to the world valued. Affirming, thank you, from a nurse and educator.

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran is my favorite book so this meditation really resonated with me. Thank you.

Great insight to remember how, when we are in our joy, it has a profound effect on anyone we touch.

I have been contemplating how my work has rippled out from an intention to embody love, with imagination as the creative inspiration, design as the creative process, and building as the creative manifestation of the intention to make love visible. Challenges and failures have been part of this process of reinventing myself over and over. I can celebrate this week the feelings and the work of love that has brought our community together, in the midst of crisis, tragedy, loss, and pain.

Outstanding meditation that has resonates in a way only I can understand, it brought strength and clarity to me as I navigate my relationship with my work in the field of harm reduction.

This was perfect and allowed me to think so much more clearly about my purpose. I am ready to meet and greet what comes my way.

This was a very impactful meditation for me! With all this energy I have now, I need to go put it into my work. You helped me realize my work is to focus on one storybook idea, complete it (or start with a chapter at a time) and give it to my husband. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🙏🏾🌸🙏🏾

That was cool. Wasn't feeling it this morning and this meditation reframed everything.

It actually made me a bit uncomfortable meditating about work, but I think it’s a very good practice. We do spend a great deal of time doing it! Thankyou 🙏🏻

Thanks for this meditation. For me, it applied to life, in general, not only to “work.”

A great visualization, re-orientating us to our impact and the meaning of our work, even if we can’t see the extent of the effect we have on the world. Thank you 🙏🏼

Be well-- my favorite closing. We are all connected!

This was just what I needed. I have a big meeting today and I have shifted from nervous to motivated. Thank you for sharing this. -Gratitude

This meditation is so profound and extremely valuable. Work is love made visible! This is an act of love that will ripple out infinitely. So much deep appreciation 💙💛💚🧡

This meditation was exactly what I needed this morning.

As a middle school teacher, teaching during the pandemic has been a challenge and had brought about new and resurfacing anxieties….. With summer drawing to a close, I have plans to just go sit in my classroom by myself how much I love my job. I will listen to this meditation while I sit and remember all the love that is spread in the classroom. Much thanks! I needed to hear this🙏