BODYLOGOS AT WORK FOR YOU: Getting Clear on What You Need in your Workplace

BODYLOGOS = The Body’s Divine Wisdom

It is a Practice and a Lifestyle outlined in The Art of Strength: Sculpt the Body ~ Train the Mind

BODYLOGOS AT WORK FOR YOU:

Getting Clear on What You Need in your Workplace

by Donia Elizabeth Allen ~ BodyLogos Instructor

Several years ago an exceptional professional opportunity came my way through a friend. The position was in a new field and industry, and I was lucky to get it. I jumped at the chance.

The position itself was also new, and I reported to a member of the senior leadership team. My charge was to manage projects related to preparing this organization for an ambitious change process that included a capital campaign and building project. The unusually talented and hard-working staff was more than capable of handling these projects but even with a brilliant mission and extraordinary team change isn’t easy!

One of the many changes involved a member of the senior leadership moving to a smaller office so that a colleague and I could then move into, and share, her larger office. There was a lot of grumbling: who was going to take the measurements and order the furniture, why did people have to share space, why couldn’t everyone stay put until we all relocated out of the space for renovations?

In the meantime, I was sitting at a tiny work-study desk with no shelves, drawers, or privacy. It was very clear to me that there was no way I was going to be able to manage the projects I’d been tasked with without a more functional workspace. I was the most recent hire, in a new position, in a new industry: I had the most to lose if I didn’t perform well, and a lot to prove.

Fortunately, I had been practicing Bodylogos for a while by this time. I was in the habit, through active meditation, of checking in with myself regularly, asking how I felt about people and situations, and trusting the answers that came to me (abdominal work); with clarifying what I wanted and needed to bring into my life to feel fulfilled and successful (biceps work); and with determining what I needed to practice letting go of (triceps) while maintaining my integrity (shoulder work) and a sense of comfort and safety (buttocks and back muscle work).

“Sculpt the Body ~ Train the Mind,” Bodylogos’ vision statement, makes clear that it’s a physical practice designed to strengthen muscles, and promote postural integrity. But Bodylogos also encourages us to continually explore our psyche-muscular blueprints, to be curious about the relationship between our physical and emotional needs, and our aspirations. As I became more comfortable doing Bodylogos workouts I got better at identifying my strengths and weaknesses, and developing strategies to meet my goals. Over time, I began to practice Bodylogos in my workplace – identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, and developing strategic ways of addressing situations within the organization and relationships with colleagues, too.

With the Bodylogos approach in mind, I got clear that what I needed most strategically in that situation was a functional workspace, and so I offered to take the lead on this relatively small office move.  As soon as I volunteered, there was more, and louder grumbling: you’re new, this isn’t fair to you, so-and-so ought to be handling this since it was their idea, it should have been done before you even arrived. It was tempting to join in the kvetching: it was a way for me, as the new person, to bond with colleagues who’d been there a while and also to blow off a little steam as I was anxious about the move, too. But I got clear quickly about this too, specifically, that joining in the complaining wasn’t going to get me what I needed (a more functional workspace), and could potentially put me at risk if it involved complaining about senior leaders and it got back to them.

So I engaged facilities to help me take measurements and make decisions about furniture and packing. I engaged the technology manager to determine to move computers, and other electronics. And I communicated with everyone in the suite affected by the move. By the end of the process I had gotten exactly what I needed: a functional workspace, and a supervisor who was delighted by how smoothly things went. And, crucially, I avoided getting caught up in power struggles and a cycle of bonding through complaining with colleagues, and I stayed true to myself and my values.

I went on to have a stellar professional experience that changed the course of my career, and led to several very dynamic collaborations with colleagues that continue to this day. During this time I also realized the extent to which Bodylogos had become an integral part of my life, and decided to become a Bodylogos instructor so that I could encourage others to try the Bodylogos approach to move their lives and energy in new directions.

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