The speakers at the November luncheon meeting were human resources experts Sapna Welsh and Shawn Garrett from Leverage HR.  Leverage HR helps Fortune 500 companies develop training solutions, improve their management, and integrate best practices.

Welsh and Garrett started off by stating a simple yet important and inspiring phrase: Live life as if your soul matters.

They then proffered a poem, “A Pilgrim’s Plea” by Denise Bissonnette, another inspiring peace talking about the soul and self-discovery.

Welsh and Garrett furnished this list of how the soul applies at work:

  • Feel your spirit
  • Listen to your soul
  • Learn what gifts you have been given
  • Observe your responses, feelings, and actions
  • Honor your life and the lives of others

And the definition of “soul” is:

  • The inner you (what makes up who you are)
  • Truth and honesty
  • Where the inner and outer world overlap (there is a lot of talk about work/life balance.  What if it were seamless?)
  • Connectedness
  • Compass, guide
  • Energy (when we bring our strengths.)

They discussed the signs of a lost soul, and how, in fact, a soul can become lost.  The reasons included criticisms, lack of purpose, forgeting it or letting it be taken away, and several other manners of loss, however their solutions to “getting your soul back” are pretty simple.

Among other ways, they encourage you to be realistic and take the time to identify your strengths and your values.  Realizing your goals and then setting out to achieve them helps people define their path and realize their purpose.  And identifying your needs to feel fufilled, and what your higher purpose should be, will ultimately help you reclaim your soul and get your life back on track.

They provided a very helpful list of books about the soul and the workplace:

The Heart Aroused by David Whyte
Fire in the Earth by David Whyte
True North: Discover your Authentic Leadership by Bill George
The Stirring of the Soul in the Workplace by Alan Briskin
Bringing your Soul to Work: An Everyday Practice by Cheryle Peppers and Alan Briskin
Time and the Soul: Where has All the Meaningful Time Gone and Can we Get it Back? by Jacob Needleman and John Cleese

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