When we remove the soul from work, can we get it back?

When we remove the soul and heart from the workplace, we remove joy, fulfillment, and empathy.

Which leads me to wonder - can we get it back?

There have only been a few distinct career moments where I felt truly connected to my soul.

If I’m being honest, I spent decades going through the motions, searching for the next career achievement to unlock.

One of the first times I truly felt connected to my soul was when I took a three-month sabbatical between my SEC fellowship and returning to EY as a partner.

During that time, I traveled, wrote, visited close friends, and had a lot of white space to reflect and dream.

I used this time to become very intentional about how I wanted to show up as a new partner and what legacy I wanted to create.

This allowed me to tap into my own ideas and intentions before I was surrounded by the noise of a high-intensity position and other people’s opinions.

And I felt really excited about what I could create and what inspiration I could invoke by trying to make a difference each day I walked through the corporate hallways.

But fast forward seven years and a global pandemic later, it felt a lot more difficult to tap into who I was made to be.

The outside world, productivity metrics and other pressures made it hard to remind myself of why I wanted to be a partner ten years before I received the title.

I knew that one day I wanted to use my context as a partner to support transformational change. But I lost track of that intention along the way.

Four years ago, I had a gentle internal nudge reminding me to reconnect with that calling, and after a conversation with a close friend, I took intentional action to renew my focus on leadership coaching, speaking, and writing.

Carving out dedicated time throughout the week to invest in this soulful expression led to clarity of the career pivot I wanted to make.

It took a few more years to find the courage to take the leap but having moments of quiet reflection helped remind me who I wanted to be.

For me, taking time away to recharge and having dedicated time for reflection helps me reconnect with my inner knowing.  

When we want to connect with our soul, it doesn’t take grand gestures.

Taking five minutes to breathe, walking in nature or writing down some reflections can help remind us what our heart wants to share with the world.

And if you can do it while watching the sunset or sunrise, I have found the soul speaks even louder.

Has there been a time that you have lost sight of what’s important to you? How did you (or can you) get it back?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

For the world needs who you were made to be.