Identity Fraud

In our work it is easy to get lost in busy-ness. The demands of the day become all-consuming. We get so involved in the doing, that we forget who we are being. Over time we evolve a professional persona, honed to fit in with the prevailing culture, bringing the danger that we lose touch with our real identity.

In his excellent book 'Crossing the Unknown Sea - Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity' David Whyte says that:

"One of the distinguishing features of any courageous human being is the ability to remain unutterably themselves in the midst of conforming pressures".

When we see this ability in others, we admire it, even honour it. It is a trademark of great leaders - Gandhi, Churchill, Mandela. We are drawn to this quality in others because it has an echo in our true selves. It may be undercover but it can be brought out and made active.

As Whyte says, this takes courage. How do we generate this? The clue is in the root of the word which comes from the old French cuer, meaning heart. To be courageous is to act in a heartfelt way - tapping into what is really important to us. This establishes our growing edge, or frontier, without which we become numb.

To reconnect with what really matters, we need a healthy relationship with time. Whyte again:

"Good work takes patience, and our colleagues at work sometimes seem to need even more of our patience than the work itself, but it is hard to have a sense of ease with others when we have no time in our workday for a private encounter with the frontier of our own lives".

On a practical level, you can start with small steps, perhaps just 10 minutes to reflect at the beginning of the day. What is your heartfelt frontier? When you discover the value of this time, you will be able to extend it.

By lifting our true identity out of hiding and taking action that is consistent with it, we rise above busy-ness and our work is transformed. The reward waiting for us is a wonderful sense of freedom and possibility.