Choose Helpful AND Harmless

“It always seems impossible until it is done”

Nelson Mandela

I often reflect on how many people are checked out at work, home, and school; they are suffering and barely surviving, rather than overcoming and thriving.

The main reason for this outcome is that we are taught directly and through modeling, that in and of ourselves we have very little power or influence and shouldn’t think otherwise. Most people see or read about someone like Nelson Mandela or Dalai Lama and think, “Yeah, that’s not me.” And then, because we decide this is so, the possibility to be just as helpful and harmless is out of our sight and reach.

This perspective sets one on a path to thinking and feeling hopeless, helpless, scared, and small, which leads to seeking answers and solutions externally. The thought is, “Maybe if I band together with a religious, philosophical, military or political group, I can become more effective and together we can make things better.” The problem with this idea is that most groups have not put a high priority on harmlessness and therefore can’t adequately represent what works while bringing only positive results.

For me, I require an unwavering commitment to helpful and harmless. Many believe this is a pipe dream. I know its not (I teach it, and see people doing it differently every day with astounding results!). What’s required is willingness to put down the old, and work hard to develop and promote the new; kindness, equality, dignity, empathy, and shared power in new and bigger measure.

Any activity that makes a person on the inside or outside of a group feel angry, hurt, oppositional, fearful, righteous, or coerced, has too high a price tag and must be discarded in order to make room for something better. The pseudo-power in using force and believing in conversion through it is very seductive. And while we humans need and want to be connected in community, we have an obligation to prepare ourselves to connect while able to manage our peace and trustworthiness of behavior. We need to help adults and children in homes, schools and companies to know systems for doing this and to make them as important as making a profit, getting a grade, and having more stuff.

With the recent marches, I have searched my soul about both the positive and negative effects of doing things collectively. I believe community only works well when people have developed their internal leadership and can maintain their ability to be helpful while remaining harmless. While I can point to real, but relatively surface changes for which many have held so dear and believe could only have come about through struggle and opposition, I can also point to a lot of collateral damage and delays due to this, along the way. Belief in protest and strife perpetuates more of the same and keeps us distracted from our own commitment to fully engage in growing as individuals who are part of well-crafted solutions rather than being part of the problem. There can be no neutral about this. We can do better, but only if we believe it and want it with a mighty passion.

For me, I am committed to grow powerfully and authentically helpful and harmless. In order to do this, I first recognize that which has negative impacts and cease doing it, no matter how historically touted as the only way. I work to be personally responsible, and remember I can be. I work to clear away programmed limiting beliefs, and practice being more excellent in managing my life, love, health, happiness, and work.

When I think of Nelson Mandela in prison for 29 years without losing his heart or mind, I realize that what he did was live one choice at a time, and that his choices came from a purposeful and loving place. He had mental fortitude and held firmly to his authentic power, which came from high vision.

Our world today needs authentic, powerful leaders who commit to making the ends and means equally important. Our world needs YOU. I personally have witnessed both sides of too many fences, erected to demonstrate that beliefs matter more than people, and that getting a win matters more than someone else’s lose. We are better than this. Make the choice to be helpful and harmless today and learn how to do so. It takes a kind of warrior-ship, and if you don’t know how, you are not alone. There is freedom and release from suffering in it. I’m here if you need help because this is what I love to do!

Why People Hire LifeWork Systems

People hire LifeWork Systems because they need and want us to shake up business as usual. We show everyone how and why to get involved and play nice; why they matter. No one gets away with second-rate anymore because we make excuses obsolete. Mostly, people get to choose when and where to get tooled up, and we even put reference tools on their phones and in audio forms. We make it fun, inspiring and relevant or what’s the point?! We don’t let any one or any good idea get dusty on a shelf. Every day for months, new ways of thinking and acting get hashed out, and faith in humanity is restored until everyone is crazy excited about people and the work, and mediocrity is OVER. Then you see some serious barn-raising going on. It’s an amazing ride!

This article will be published in my column Emotional Intelligence in The Women’s Journals, March, 2017

I’m Judy Ryan ([email protected]), a human systems specialist, and owner of LifeWork Systems. My mission is “to create a world in which all people love their lives.” I can be reached at 314-239-4727.