Mindful in 5 Podcast

Love Your Work

• Spiwe Jefferson • Season 5 • Episode 171

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Ever feel disconnected from your work, searching for meaning in the daily grind? You're not alone. Some research reveals only 19% of workers worldwide feel fully engaged in their jobs – but there's a mindful path forward.

Join me as I share the transformative "Purpose Pause" technique that can help you rediscover joy in your professional life. Through the story of Gene, a hospital janitor who transitions from seeing his job as "just mopping floors" to recognizing his vital role in patient recovery and family comfort, we explore how perspective shifts everything.

The three-step Purpose Pause practice can start with just five minutes each morning but can dramatically change your entire workday. I guide you through identifying your work's deeper purpose, connecting even the smallest tasks to broader impacts, and approaching each responsibility with renewed intention. Remember, you don't need the "perfect job" to find perfect fulfillment – it starts with the choice to seek meaning right where you are.

Ready to fall in love with your work again? Listen now to transform your professional experience through mindfulness, regardless of your title or position. The path to loving your work begins with just five mindful minutes a day.

Transform career setbacks into powerful comebacks with mindful strategies and AI tools that helped me land executive roles as shared in my upcoming book, 'Phoenix Rising - Ignite Your Job Search.' Secure your spot in our exclusive Early Bird community for pre-launch access and an intimate launch event by pre-ordering through the Phoenix Career Chronicles podcast show notes or at spiwejefferson.com today.



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Spiwe Jefferson: [00:00:00] Welcome to Mindful in 5, where busy professionals find your peaceful oasis to thrive in complex work environments. I am Spiwe Jefferson, attorney certified mindfulness practitioner and author of the Mindful in 5 book series here to guide you to a clearer, softer, and more supported life. Join me and your fellow mind ninjas as we explore science-backed mindfulness strategies for successful leaders that you can implement, starting with just 5 minutes a day.

Elevate your work, empower your life. Work higher, live stronger. Let's go.

Spiwe Jefferson: [00:01:00] Do you find your work life clouded by a sense of disconnection, yearning for a clearer sense of purpose and joy in your daily tasks? Well, you are not alone. One research study found that only 19% of workers worldwide reported being fully engaged in their jobs, highlighting a growing need for deeper connection and fulfillment at work.  

In addition, purpose-driven organizations experience 40% higher retention rates with employees reporting up to 64% higher levels of fulfillment when they find meaning in their roles. When you don't love your work, it can dim the cheerful light of professional fulfillment. Leaving you feeling unsupported and detached from your career's.

[00:02:00] True potential.  

That is why today we are exploring how to love your work and thinking about a centered approach to doing that, bringing a clearer, more peaceful perspective to your professional life. And if you're wondering about the cute kids in imagery this season, we are embracing the beginner's mind by channeling childlike qualities, trust, authenticity, creativity, resilience and optimism to transform our mindfulness practice and daily lives.

So let the playful cover art inspire you to approach each day with fresh eyes. And an open heart.  

Now back to our topic. Imagine waking up with joyful anticipation [00:03:00] of your workday, feeling a deep sense of purpose and calm fulfillment. It's. Unreasonable to expect to feel this way every day, but it's possible. I have days when I cannot wait to jump outta bed and get to work. By cultivating a centered approach, you can rediscover a peaceful passion that drives your career forward.

There is a chapter actually in the first of the Mindful in 5 book series the one titled Meditations for People with No Time that has a dialogue between two characters about exactly this. And I won't read you the whole chapter, but it goes like this. Oh, well, let me see. Where am I gonna start?

So Gene and Brianna are having a conversation. Brianna thought a moment and then said, [00:04:00] start by finding the why of the job. Why does your job exist? Gene laughed and flapped his hands in surrender. I'm a janitor at a hospital. Where's the meaning in that? Brianna did not miss a beat the school teacher in her flared.

She looked him squarely in the eye and declared in an authoritative tone that made everyone sit up straight. It is your responsibility to ensure the highest levels of cleanliness and sanitation in that hospital, which contributes to positive health outcomes for patients and ensures the safety of their loved ones who walk the halls.

Every day next to Gene, his wife Jillian mouthed a silent thank you to Brianna. The point of this particular part of this chapter is [00:05:00] it doesn't matter what the job is. Mindfulness is about being present in the moment without judgment and without being overwhelmed by what's happening around you. And.

Being without judgment is also looking at your job and not denigrating it or belittling it because you don't think that it has a lot of value. There is a reason why your employer created that job, and there's a reason why that job exists. So start by thinking about the why beyond what it is that you do.

It is. The same as the adage where I'm sure you've heard this. Somebody walks up to a contractor who is laying bricks and says, what are you doing? And the guy says, well, I'm a brick layer. I lay bricks. I am laying bricks. And then. The guy walks up to the next contractor and says, [00:06:00] what are you doing?

And he says, I am an architect. I am laying bricks to create the Sistine Chapel.  

And that is his purpose. And so this is what Brianna was trying to get Gene to see. You're not just a janitor who's mopping floors. You are ensuring. The sanitary conditions to promote these outcomes in this hospital.

That is why your job exists. So think about your job in that way beyond the activity, the tasks. Why does that job exist and why does your employer need it? And what is the larger purpose that you serve? So to aid us in that regard, let's explore a soothing technique that I call the [00:07:00] purpose. Pause. Here's how it works.

And to help us, let us think about Gene as an example. Here's step one. At the start of each day, take a peaceful 5 minute pause. You may know if you've been following Mindful in 5 for a while, that the underlying concept is that you can improve your life, transform your day and your life by taking 5 minutes to center yourself and set your intentions for the day, and that is where the habit starts.

Ideally, you want to expand it to more than 5 minutes, but just start with 5 minutes. Step one, at the start of each day, take a peaceful 5 minute pause. Gene might use this time to reflect on how his work supports the healthcare outcomes at his [00:08:00] hospital and ultimately improves patient health.

This exploration could include recognizing how his efforts ensure that the guests who come to visit patients aren't slipping and falling and sliding because the floors are clean. They are not transmitting bacteria anymore than is necessary because he's ensuring the sanitation practices of the hospital.

Step two, ask yourself with gentle curiosity, how does my work today contribute to something larger? So for example, you can identify one task that aligns more closely to your purpose. The scope is everything. And you can just look at that and say, okay, so even if you're taking. One task that you have to do today, what is the big thing you have to [00:09:00] accomplish today?

And think about how does it align to a larger part of what my organization is trying to accomplish? If you don't have a clear answer to that question, go talk to your supervisor. Go talk to your boss, and make sure you get that clarity because there should be alignment between what you're doing and the organization's broader goals.

So be creative. Think broadly about that and see if you can figure that out for yourself. For Gene, it might be as we've talked about, it might be that one of the, or the organization's goals, the hospital goals is to minimize the unnecessary. Transfer of germs, bacteria that cause illness, like for example, sepsis might be one of their metrics that they, that they monitor to [00:10:00] ensure that they are tracking the sanitary conditions of the hospital.

And so everything he does, everything he cleans, everything he sanitizes. Is tied to that broader goal. So find out, ask yourself with curiosity, how does my work today contribute to something larger in my organization? Step three. Approach that task with clear intention. We talked about looking at what is the one task that I can identify and think of, approach that task with clear intention and cheerful energy.

Focus on the task, not just, I'm just laying bricks, but oh my goodness, I'm building the Sistine Chapel.  

For Gene, it's, oh my goodness. I'm ensuring that people recover as fast as they possibly can. Oh my goodness. I'm [00:11:00] making sure that people who come to this hospital don't leave sick. I. Oh my goodness. I'm making sure that that little girl who showed up here with a big balloon to see her dad who's in the hospital, leaves here feeling just as well as she did when she walked in.

And I am making sure that her dad gets to her as fast as he possibly can because he's going to recover because everything that touches that man is going to be sanitary. The food that is prepared, the utensils that we give him, all of the thermometers, everything is gonna be sanitized that comes into contact with that dad so that we can ensure that he has a speedy recovery to go home to his little girl.

So as you humanize the work, do you see how all of a sudden being a janitor. Starts to go from what Gene was originally envisioning. [00:12:00] I'm just this dude who mops things and does a lowly job to my word! I am involved in making sure that the people I see every day are healthy and that the patients we house every day are able to have good outcomes so they can go home to their family members.

And that is what I want. 'cause you know what? If I have somebody in the hospital, that's exactly what I want. I want them to heal as fast as they can. I'm already stressed out 'cause they're in the hospital and I want them home as soon as I can get them home. And how many of you have ever thought about the fact that the sanitation workers at that hospital are an integral part of how your loved ones get well. All of a sudden, that job becomes. Incredibly important and indispensable. And so approach that task that you're doing with that kind of intention and energy. And by focusing on this task, [00:13:00] how am I mopping these floors?

How am I cleaning these utensils? How am I ensuring that the bathrooms are clean and sanitary? All of a sudden, Gene has this massive responsibility that he has to take with him around every corner and into every crevice of that hospital. Connecting daily work to a larger purpose in this way can significantly increase job satisfaction.

For professionals like Gene, understanding how their expertise contributes to the wellbeing of others can transform routine tasks into meaningful endeavors.

This centered approach fosters clarity, fulfillment, and joy in professional life. You don't have to be in the perfect job to do it perfectly, or at least to try to do it perfectly. [00:14:00] You also don't have to be in the job that you feel is the perfect fit for you to still find fulfillment and do it well. You can bring joyful intention and clear purpose every single day.

So this week, practice the purpose pause each morning. Notice how it brings a softer, more supported energy to your entire workday. Are you ready to fall in love with your work again, finding joy in every task. God lovers, you may remember that there is a story somewhere in the Bible where Jesus talks about the body of Christ. He's talking about the physical body, and basically what he says is that there's no part of the human body that is unimportant. The [00:15:00] little finger can't say he doesn't use the little finger, but as an example, I think he might have used the toe, but the finger or the toe can't say, well, I'm just a finger. I'm just a toe. Nobody cares about me. Therefore, I'm just going to, you know, disassociate myself from this body.

You have never understood the power of your toes until you have lost one and had to figure out how to balance without it. And that is the point. The brain certainly can't say, well, you know, I'm such a small part of the body. What do I need to do and why does anybody need me? Right?

Because without the brain, the whole body is useless. And so think of yourself and your role in that way beyond just the job that you're doing now. There will always be purpose to your life that you bring to your job. And so if you think about the job that you're doing today, that way, there is purpose to this role.[00:16:00] 

And until you leave that role or until that role is sunsetted and replaced with something else, then you do that job as if it's the most important thing ever. Because how you do it contributes to the larger organization's success.

And if you are having a hard time finding that joy, start by expressing gratitude that you have a job at all. Because in this season as I'm recording this, there are many people out there who find themselves without a job, and some of them pretty suddenly. So if you're still sitting in your role, it's a privilege.

You are fortunate and there is value in expressing gratitude for that, and I. If they're giving you a paycheck for showing up and doing that job. Oh, double reason for gratitude, [00:17:00] right? And so just start with the basics. If you are, if you're, if you're grasping for things to think of that can cause you to feel grateful, just start with, I have a job.

They pay me to work there. My goodness, this is amazing. To start there, start with the wonder, and then every single day when you sit down for that 5 minutes, take one moment to come up with one new thing about your job that you like. Maybe you have a best friend at work. Maybe it's close to home. Maybe you get to work from home and you like that.

Maybe it's hybrid and you get to spend some time at home. Maybe you love like I do, maybe you love the perfect combination of being able to spend three days in the office and two days at home. My goodness, what a wonderful thing that is. So just the more you come up with reasons to like and be grateful for the job you have, the [00:18:00] easier it will be to find peace and purpose in doing that job every day.

And you know, for God lovers. You all know that there is a another saying in the Bible that says, seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened. Ask and you shall receive. Some of you may have heard these things and you might not have even realized it came out of the Bible, but it does, and you know.

In different spheres of our lives. Different people call that different things. Some people call it manifesting. Some people call it positive psychology. Some people call it self-fulfillment prophecy. It is all the same. It boils down to the same thing, which is the thing you put your energy to is the thing that comes to you.

I like to say you attract what you reflect. The more you go out there looking for reasons to be grateful for your job, the more you will find [00:19:00] reasons and you will not. Run out of things to be grateful for, if that's what you go looking for. And the more you delve into the purpose, what is the purpose?

What is the purpose? What is the big why for this job to exist? The more you will find reasons and, and significant reasons why that job exists, just like, and, and no job is too menial, right? Sometimes I think people don't think very much about sanitation workers. I received two Christmas cards from the two gentlemen who pick up our trash every week.

I like those guys. Especially in the summertime when it's hot, I put two cans of soda on top of the garbage cans. Just so that they can have some refreshment as they go around the neighborhood collecting trash. And sometimes especially around the holidays, they like to leave treats for our dogs.

I mean, we've got like this whole relationship and I think I've [00:20:00] probably seen them and talked to them maybe twice, because usually when they come, we're not home. But you know, with that job, there is joy that we can give each other and, there's a lot of purpose to that role. That is, in fact, those two sanitation guys are two of the most important people in our household.

And I don't even need to explain to you why that is and what would happen very quickly if they were not here. And if they did not come around. I mean, our house would be a total disaster. And so there is no job that is too menial. There is no job that isn't good enough. It is only sometimes our judgment and the filter through which we see our own endeavors that minimizes and belittles the work that we do.

So cast aside those filters and pick up the mantle of meaningful, purposeful work and get after [00:21:00] that job with excitement and delight and love and gratitude. So fall in love with your work. Again, find joy in every task. Just begin by that expression of gratitude that you have that job at all. And remember, loving your work is a choice that you can make every day.

Don't say to yourself, well. Let it get better and then I'll love it. No, no. Let it be the other way around. Choose to love the job and you will find more reasons to love it every day. By centering yourself in purpose and peaceful presence, you can find joy and clear fulfillment in your professional life, regardless of external circumstances.

So I leave you with that and, if you would like to pick up a copy of Mindful in 5 [00:22:00] meditations with meditations for people with no time, I encourage you to do that. I wrote this series of books because I was looking for ways to translate mindfulness, traditional and scientifically proven mindfulness strategies and techniques to.

Daily life. Actual life. So as opposed to talking to you about how to mindfully walk or how to mindfully eat a raisin, which are two very important things. This book, however, uses characters like Gene and Jillian and Singita, and. A cast of 'em who are struggling with different things and you see how they use mindfulness and apply it to, how do you apply mindfulness to family drama when you're having trouble with your siblings.

And your parents. How do you apply mindfulness when you're going through a divorce? [00:23:00] I, years ago, went through a divorce and I was like, I don't wanna learn how to eat a raisin. I wanna learn how to apply mindfulness to this catastrophe in front of me. Right. So that is what the book is designed to help you to.

Do. It's designed to help you take mindfulness concepts through these characters, through these examples, step-by-step, what do I do? How do I sit, what do I do about this racing mind that won't quit? All the things that we tend to struggle with when we are trying to learn how to. Center ourselves and how to sit in stillness.

It's hard, y'all, but you can do it. And so I leave you with that. There will be a link in the notes for this podcast, or you can stroll over to speedway jefferson.com and you can pick up. That book or any one of the mindfulness books, and in fact, I'm so excited, as you know, there's a new one coming out for Job Hunters.

How do I overcome the Trauma of Termination? As an example is one of the things that we deal with in the [00:24:00] upcoming book. So. With that, may your work be filled with peaceful purpose and joyful engagement. Until next week, this is Spiwe saying, be mindful and be well.   

James@DiscovertheVoice

Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend, follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book and journal from spewayjeffersoncom, or unsigned copies from Amazon, barnes, noble or wherever you get your books. Visit spewayjeffersoncom to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.