Work as if you don't need the money,
Love as if you've never been hurt,
And dance as if no one is watching.
–Anonymous

The Situation

In the last few years I've become increasingly aware of people saying that they are exhausted. Phrases such as, "there's too much to do; too little time; I don't know what to do; I feel empty," seem to be increasingly common. If those speaking were working 50 hours a week their words would make sense immediately but I'm hearing this from people who work 30 hours a week in wonderful work environments and intend to stay in their jobs.

What is Happening?

I believe that the Earth is undergoing a major initiation, a birth into a new way of being. Most of us have noticed a change in weather patterns and this observation is added to our growing knowledge that our water, air, earth, and sun are toxic to us. It is very difficult with this developing awareness to trust our physical environment with the child-like innocence that we held previously. Nor are we supposed to.

Instead, we are moving from the place of unconscious innocence, but also from the greed of a two year old who asserts "I want ..." with no consequences for his or her actions, to the place of learning to take responsibility for the environmental problems we have created. We are moving towards becoming conscious creators at the same time as the planet is moving increasingly towards consciousness.

This change that we are witnessing in the macrocosm is taking place in our individual lives as well. As old organizational structures collapse we are called on to try new prototypes for work. Simultaneously we see both medium-sized organizations merge to form gigantic organizations as others break into smaller units. More and more people are starting to work for themselves instead of working for others. As we learn to identify what we want to do for a livelihood we often start also to explore how we could work with like-minded individuals.

Changing Relationships and Values

Here too in the area of relationships with others the old forms are breaking down. Women and men no longer know what their roles should be; nor do different age groups. A neighbour of mine who works in the computer business told me recently that 25 year olds are holding their 55 year old bosses hostage in their businesses because their knowledge of computers is so superior that without this knowledge the business would flounder. Likewise, when I was working in Japan I witnessed a similar social phenomenon. There is a growing group of dissident youth who dye their hair green and purple, wear the latest western clothing and call themselves "Yankees." These young people with their strident individualism and non-acceptance of the work ethic on which the Japanese culture of their parents is founded are shaking the foundation of Japanese society.

How Shall We Proceed?

So the question arises, "How can we best get through this in-between time where old values and ways of working and being dissolve and the new has not yet come into form?" I have two thoughts which might at first glance seem contradictory. The first is that we need to actively show up to explore new ways of being both with ourselves and with others. This means to adopt a very simple code of ethics - to do no harm - as we try out various forms that would in a previous time seem untenable. For example, this could mean committing to work with someone for only a short time while we are learning and then moving on to another learning experience without encumbering ourselves with misplaced feelings of loyalty and guilt not to stay for five or ten years. Young people are very adept at doing this presently and perhaps those of us who are older can learn from them.

The second way of living and working is to celebrate life in the moment without being attached to results. Increasingly I feel a call to deepen and do less while I balance the place of being and doing within myself and I do not think I am alone with this feeling. The vibration of the new age we are entering is higher and more finely tuned than the era we are leaving. To live and work consciously in this new era we must be able to rise to a celebration of life in all its various forms. If we are exhausted, burned out, depressed we cannot do this. So we need to cut down on the volume of work we are doing and return to our centre to nourish ourselves and others in a kind and gentle way while trusting the universe to provide the time and opportunities that we need for growth.

Tanis Helliwell, MEd, is the founder of the International Institute for Transformation (IIT) whose mission is to help people live and work with meaning and purpose. She is the author of Take Your Soul to Work and Decoding Destiny: keys to mankind's spiritual evolution. The ITT is conducting a Transfrom Your Self in San Francisco workshop February 19-23, 2003. For information on Tanis or on the IIT upcoming retreats, events, and tours visit www.iitransform.com, call 1-800-745-4779, fax (403) 241-0986, or write to 156 Hamptons Landing NW, Calgary AB T3A 5R5.