Wholesome Working - BODY with SOUL

When we see people comparable in ability & efforts not yielding comparable outcomes …. we wonder why/which components didn’t add to the wholesome result, other successful people achieved

 What is missing

If latest technology/equipment, best medical expertise, and high monetary investments in some high end corporate hospitals fall short in creating required patient care , there must be something missing beyond the visible , physical components

 There are instances , where we see right ingredients for a fulfilling meal, falling short of completing the desired recipe .

Like a sculptor’s finely crafted statue, which has a great body in place, but what sets it apart from the ‘ living beings ‘ is the missing soul ! 

Reason why the right ingredients do not add up to the holistic effect is that, these are the visible, physical components – the Body; but missing the inevitable – the spirit, the drive behind – Let’s call it Soul!

 The body and soul form the foundation of human existence.

What is Body and Soul ?

We commonly understand the body as our physical form. The soul, on the other hand, is the invisible energy behind it. It is usually seen as the spiritual, formless aspect of our being that makes us who we are. Our soul holds our driving philosophy ,our values; guiding our body towards our goal. Our body thus is a mechanism of expressing our soul 

It is the soul with its ability to drive and inspire, that gives us our sense of individuality. Our ‘action’ represents the body and the ‘thought’ behind it is the soul!

All human efforts and pursuits too can be seen in the form of these two components – Body and Soul.

Every task has a physical structure that makes up its body i.e. the ‘what’ aspect of the task- describing what we need to do. The soul represents the invisible spirit of the task and is the ‘why’ element of the task - the purpose behind .

When a mother prepares food for her child returning from school, it is not just the well-prepared food, but importantly the mother’s care to remember to cook what her child likes and to ensure that the food is warm whenever the child eats. Culinary skills, good ingredients, and recipes form the body of this task, and the mother’s care forms the soul.

It is the ‘care’ component of a task delivery--driven by the Soul that creates Value .The ‘labour’ component is delivered by the Body in a transactional mode.

Following elaboration may help understand interplay between Body and Soul:

·      The body and soul together provide a holistic effect. The body is an implementation apparatus of the driving force called the soul. If the body is ‘being’, the soul is the ‘reason for being’.

·      Body with a transactional way of working, operates in reactive mode in addressing a task. Involving the soul along with the body moves us into a more proactive mode.

·      A bodily approach focuses on the physical, or immediate aspects like balancing effort /resources, vis-a-vis expected benefits. The soul can look beyond the immediate, -- to strategically view relationships as an investment.

Often it is Body without a Soul

It is not uncommon to see around us , most tasks being performed only at a ‘body’ level, in a default mode.

Often, caught up in the modern-day ‘fast food’ culture where we act quickly with a ‘here and now’ mindset, we find ourselves seeking instant results without going through the proper process, primarily in a reactive mode. The soul, with its proactive mode, focuses on the root cause instead.

When we operate only at a body level , purpose is lost ; reducing what we do to a ritualistic activity , delivered in a transactional mode. That is when ‘ communication ‘ gets simplified to ‘ sending out mail ‘ for an employee and a housemaid ‘ understands ‘ her ask for cleaning house to ‘ brooming & mopping ‘ . That is how , ‘ customer care ‘ teams; approach undergoes a degenerative transformation to Deny/Suspect/Argue’ with customer – or at best ‘ inform’ , rather than their obligation of resolving service issues .

When we wish someone on social media on an occasion – the acid test is : Were we prompted to wish the person to fall in line with many others who wished before us ( even without ascertaining validity of the date ) – so that we are not ‘ left out ‘ or Did we care to remember his/her key date and created a warm personalised message than resorting to the standard descriptions ?

Why bring in ‘Soul’ in what we do ?

When we are assigned a task at work, such as conveying a message, the tone of the mail, checking to ensure that the message has been received and understood – soul of the task ;add value to the body of the task i.e. typing & sending a mail – it marks the difference between transacting and engaging. Involvement of the soul makes the work ‘ come alive’ with passion , interest ,energy & the result -complete ! Tasks performed without it, are likely to be sub-optimal in their impact

It is only when the Software – which understands both, the hardware & the user interface –is installed ; functioning of the Hardware becomes complete . The Soul is the Software !

Bringing in soul into working makes for a nuanced perspective, which makes our pursuits more meaningful, enhancing creative satisfaction from the actions we take.

 Why yet , ‘Body working’ is our Default Option ?

Reasons why we yet see common reliance only on the body aspect as our default mode of working ,can be categorised into a) Ignorance factors, and b) Compromise factors.

Ignorance factors

1.     Inflated assumptions about our intelligence: We are often held back by our illusion about ourselves with a larger than life impression of our abilities. Our ego restricts our understanding of what we need to do .

2.     Imbalance between aspirations and ability: Aspirations supported by abilities, lead to excellence. Dreaming big without proportionate increase in our abilities. makes us underprepared and unsuccessful .

3.     Excessive conditioning on knowledge than wisdom: Our education system has overemphasis on information gathering than developing understanding through reflections and interpretations . This conditions us to hold only a superficial understanding of topics rather than develop a well founded , deeper comprehension.

Compromise factors

1.     The perceived shortage of time: In many situations, we function with perceived time pressure that does not allow us breathing room to approach issues with depth and calm mind. This makes us more reactive.

2.     Impotent impatience: Due to the various stressors and perceived pressures of daily living, we often develop a sense of unexplained restlessness and subconscious impulsivity that causes us to always be on the edge. This turbulent mindset does not leave room for careful consideration of what needs to be done. 

3.     Transactional outlook: A singular focus on money as the driving factor in our pursuits has led to a transactional outlook for immediate results (a consideration of ‘what do I get for what I do’). This outlook blinds us to a larger perspective & purpose . 

4.     ‘Jugaad’ upbringing: The ‘jugaad’ mindset common to our current social thinking, often guides us to look at how we can escape from dealing with matters or find shortcuts, instead of putting in the effort to painstakingly and fundamentally resolve matters.

‘Wholesome Working’ – How

Although achieving harmony of body and soul working in unison is an internal process driven by our inner software; for those who prefer to comprehend the concept through its components, here are four key ingredients of the “ Wholesome working – Body with Soul “

1.     Forming a connection with the purpose (Direction)

2.     Developing a comprehensive view (Dimensions)

3.     Persistently capturing nuances (Depth)

4.     Ensuring closure (Destination)

Direction

Connecting with the purpose and the context affords meaning to our pursuit and strengthens our commitment. Understanding the destination ,has a greater chance of being driven meaningfully to it .

 Dimensions

To deliver on a task successfully, we need to have a comprehensive understanding of all of its dimensions : the scope & boundary of the task, as to its expanse & limits . It is looking at the task from every angle before we undertake implementation.

Depth

Possible catalysts and derailers . Identifying what is critical for success and what can go wrong, allows us to have a better understanding of the implications of our action, and alerts us to the nuances whose presence or absence can make/mar success.

Nuances -like salt in a recipe are small measures which disproportionately boost the outcome experience; e.g. The smile on a child’s face when we return home- tired from the day’s work, that makes every effort worthwhile.

Destination

The journey is complete only on reaching destination. It takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and dedication to the cause to see things through to the end.

However an important point to note here is that closure is not always self-certified. The ascertainment whether we have reached our destination needs or not, should be from the eyes of, and certified by, the recipient. When a customer orders a product online, it is not when the product is despatched, but only when the customer receives the product and is satisfied with its functionality, that the responsibility of the sending company is complete.

‘Wholesome Working’ – What it takes 

If by now we are inspired enough to make it a part of who we are and how we work; it is essential to also understand what it takes to reach there – the prerequisites or attributes we need to have, that enable us to drive this holistic approach successfully and systemically.

Wholesome working requires us to invoke:

·      Alignment – Alignment with a purpose/cause, values, culture, goals, etc., creates a power of additive forces, providing a sense of belongingness and commitment. This alignment can be with an organisation that we work with, or a community we come from, or even with our own self. The best example of this alignment is a Mother with her child or a Soldier with his country.

·      High resolve – It refers to an unflinching commitment to our purpose ! A half-hearted attempt at working on a task can result not only in unsatisfactory results but also in a loss of credibility.

·      Non-compromising insistence on quality and values – Quality and values have a binary existence, they are either present or absent ; anything in-between is a compromise!                To reach excellence, our quality standards must be absolute and not relative to the level of competition or the customer.

Values are not just desirable practices; they set non-compromising boundaries to how we work.

Values and quality standards anchor us, particularly in difficult times. Actions guided by them are likely to be more holistic.

·      Persistence, Perseverance, or Tenacity – Many pursuits start with great momentum but to sustain it through challenges and adversities requires high perseverance . It takes focus and dedication towards our goals, as well as supreme faith in our abilities. It is the ability to last which drives overcoming of any roadblock or distraction during our journey.

·      Resilience and flexibility – Resilience is being irrepressible. It is an optimistic state of mind by which no adversity or challenge can put us down for long.

Flexibility is about being open to options, opportunities, and learning. Flexibility opens doors to finding a solution or a way through.

Inculcating these attributes, is not easy . It is not a process of acquisition, but of assimilation over time; a process of slow percolation. We need to be persistent in absorption and in reflective rumination.

Conclusion

For wholesome working of Body with soul, it is not just action, but ‘ thoughtful action ‘– where the ‘ thought behind ‘is the Soul. The Soul brings in the passion/drive , involvement , ownership , whereas the Body becomes the apparatus for translating it into the desired action

It is deploying Labour with Care …. labour application is ritualistic, routine; creativity comes with care e.g., Mother to a child .

Body & Soul are the Yin-Yang of human existence – these are intrinsic & complimentary forces. One is incomplete without the other. They are not options or opposites ; but Body with Soul completes each story & experience . With the soul’s drive of care at the core ; we cease to see our lives as a chore and discover the joys of working and living instead.

Direction (purpose), Dimensions(Comprehensiveness), Depth ( Nuances) , Destination(Closure) form the 4 essential components of body with soul working . Using body-with-soul approach to whatever we do, is a matter of inner software – can’t be externally acquired through tools/techniques, technology or training, but needs to be inculcated and assimilated.

Traits like Alignment ,Resolve, non-compromise on Quality, Perseverance, Resilience are indicators of the required mindset , to make working ‘ Body with Soul ‘ ; systemic to us

This wholesome working process of integrating the body and the soul in our thinking, expressions, and actions can benefit us not just in terms of workplace success but in almost anything we do in life. Embracing the wholesome approach, we can improve our relationships, create Value in all of our interactions.

It shifts our focus from Labour à Care, Skillà Will, being a Controller à to a Custodian; and from Doing à Being. It liberates a person from a transactional mindset. In a way finding & drawing on ‘Soul ‘in whatever we do, is a process leading to discovery journey of finding purpose in life.

Spiritually speaking, body & soul in unison symbolises the inevitability of the ultimate unison of Aatman with Paramaatma, into eternity.