Office Inspiration

People sometimes ask me why I choose to work at Run and Become (a specialist running shop staffed by students of Sri Chinmoy). I have been working there for over five years now, and I definitely find it easier than working with people who do not necessarily value or understand the spiritual life. That's not to say that Sri Chinmoy’s students are the only spiritually inclined people, or that I don't want to know about people who are uninterested in spirituality. It just means that being around other spiritual seekers seems to provide a basis for mutual understanding, since we all share similar values.

I used to find it difficult in my previous job to hold on to the spiritual nourishment I had received in my morning meditation each day. It was a bit like trying to hold water in a cup with holes in. However hard I tried to plug the holes, the water would always somehow escape. I would then have to escape to my car (the only quiet place I could find) when I could get a break, and try to fill my inner vessel again.

My last job was as a computer programmer for a national phone network. My role was to design and develop systems to help reduce paperwork in various departments. My colleagues regarded me a harmless enigma. Most of them were quite young and could not imagine why I did not spend my spare time partying. They were very nice people, and let me get away with just a friendly dig in the ribs now and again, which I just laughed along with. I could tell they respected me really, and would often attribute my calmness in stressful situations (a constant occurrence) to my meditation.

I would spend my days meeting with my internal clients in various departments, staring at my computer screen, typing out endless strings of code nested within other code. I would then test it, fix it, test it, fix it again, and present it back to the client. In some ways it was creative, and rewarding in the sense that it made people's jobs easier. It did mean spending a lot of time firmly and uncomfortably locked away in my mind, though. There was a lot of pressure to meet deadlines and to fix things quickly when they mysteriously went wrong.

I find my current job much more suited to the spiritual life. I know there are people out there who are resilient enough to balance the inner life with a high-pressure or mind-based job. I managed it for a while, but am happier now that I have made the choice not to. There was a lot of money on offer in the business I was in, and a lot of prospects, so it was hard in some ways to let that attachment go; but once it was done I never looked back. It just took a little leap of faith.

The inner rewards have far, far outweighed the outer rewards I would have gained. I probably would have burned out anyway by now if I had stayed. That's not to say that my working life is always easy, or that I don't work hard. On the contrary, I think in some ways it is more challenging as it is more important to me than just a job. I just feel that my work is now really part of my spiritual life, so no effort is wasted. Before, I felt I was expending a lot of energy just keeping my consciousness afloat - let alone going forward.

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I remembered an incident which illustrates how we might be inspiring our colleagues without realising it. I never kept my spiritual life a secret, but never mentioned it either unless anyone showed interest. I always kept a picture of Sri Chinmoy on my desk, and while some people would ask about it, others would not.

One of my clients would often ask me questions, but her tone was distinctly cynical. I would always dread her asking me something, as she would usually seem to sneer and challenge my answer. I always prayed for guidance whenever I knew I would be meeting her. I tried not to feel defensive or take anything as an insult, but to answer her questions briefly, calmly, confidently and factually. This was quite a challenge for me, I can tell you! She was very demanding, and many people would roll their eyes whenever her name was mentioned. Over the course of a few months I managed to build up a working relationship with her, but she would regularly bring up the subject of my spiritual life, and find a way to make a dig at it. Funnily enough, she was the one who paid most attention to it. Most other people hardly ever mentioned it.

One day this client called me saying that she wanted a private meeting with me, and that she had booked a meeting room. My heart sank! It was a very young and informal company where everyone was on first name terms, and conducted most of their meetings in open-plan areas. To call a private meeting with someone was just not normal. Alarm bells were ringing in my head, and I steeled myself for a roasting. I assumed I had inadvertently made some almighty error in my handling of the project.

When she closed the door, she sat down and her demeanour totally changed. Her heart seemed to open, and she proceeded to tell me about a friend of hers whom she was very worried about. It seems she had a lot of serious problems and had become very depressed. I was really surprised at this volley of personal facts, but was even more surprised at what followed. She wanted to ask me for any guidance I could give her from Sri Chinmoy's teachings! I prayed very quickly but very sincerely as I recall! Of course I first set out some disclaimers and suggested perhaps she might need medical advice, but I managed to remember some things I had recently read which answered her questions. I then told her some simple meditation techniques which might help her friend find some peace and begin to work out her own problems. My fervent prayer bore fruits immediately, and that was the end of our meeting.