Chief Spiritual Officer

First, there’s a stupendous article on personal mission at beliefnet.com. It was the Inspiration Newsletter story on March 30th. I’m pasting the URL here http://www.beliefnet.com/nllp/Inspiration.aspx?WT.mc_id=Inspiration03&date=03-30-2007 in the hope that you can click on it and it will take you there. It worked for me. If not, it’s worth the time to go and find it. Blessed work!

Speaking of blessed work, may I tell you what mine is? It has come to me over and over again in the past year as I have followed the advice I've given to clients.

When a client comes to me asking about how to find her or his mission in life, I give them an assignment—especially if they don’t know where they want to serve.

Describe your perfect day at work.

Often I recommend that you start by looking at your feet. What kind of shoes are you wearing? Pumps? Dress oxfords? Loafers? Sneakers? Bunny slippers? Shoes tell a lot about a person and a situation. We can pretty much be assured if it’s bunny slippers (unless you’re a slipper model) that you’re working at home.

Anyway, then I ask about how you spend your day. Are you reading? Writing? Measuring? Working with numbers? On the phone? On the computer? In a meeting? How many people are there? On a team? Working solo?

Check out your office. Is there a window? Can you see your desk? You get the idea. You’d be surprised at how clearly people know about their ideal working conditions, just not the subject of their work. In some cases, the subject doesn’t matter.

In my case, it does. I have spent the better part of half my life in spiritual pursuits. Study. Writing. Counseling. Intuiting. Speaking. Preaching. Reading. These are the components that make up my ideal day. Oh, and bunny slippers, definitely. I work at home for the most part.

So how does this tie in with my title? Simple. I am creating a position for companies who invest in meaning for their teams. Universally what everyone wants in their work is meaning. From CEO to janitor, when every single person in a company knows that what they are doing is contributing to a mission which makes a difference to the world, the work is inspired, people care, profit is made, and the planet is a better place to live.

Every enlightened company needs a Chief Spiritual Officer. That’s what I do. The position puts together all of my talents, skills, gifts and abilities to work for the good of business and the world.

At this time, I am the CSO for two concerns. I’m nearly through with the set-up work for one of them, so it’s time for another client. How may I offer you excellent service today? Chief Spiritual Officer reporting for . . . (joyous) duty.