Wu-wei on the job

[manitou]

I think it would be interesting to see how the infusion of your knowledge of wu-wei has benefited you on the job?  I no longer work, and never had the chance of utilizing my knowledge of Not-Doing in my work life.

 

If you're a boss, do you allow the wu-wei to Be in the office?  Are you being less controlling?  Are you allowing your subordinates the freedom of their own expression, rather than expecting them to reflect your ideas only?

 

If you're  subordinate to a boss, do you 'let him or her be, without undercutting him with gossip?'  It's so easy to gossip about the boss, especially if the boss is too - well - Bossy.  But do you 'allow' his full nature to exist, in fact to embrace it without rebelling against it?

 

If you're in sales, do you view your clients with love, putting first their needs?  Or are you still too worried about your commission?

 

Can you Not-Do in office situations where personal dynamics get crazy?

 

 

[MooNiNite]

I have learned that when managers get mad towards me or my work ethic, it really doesn't matter, they will hardily ever fire you. 

[manitou]

LOL.  You must be awfully good at what you do -

[MooNiNite]

LOL.  You must be awfully good at what you do -

 

Sometimes you have to work in order to find your work 

[ilumairen]

I have learned that when managers get mad towards me or my work ethic, it really doesn't matter, they will hardily ever fire you.

This happens where I work, but it breeds alot of contention with the watchers/gossipers. They think the bosses should 'do something', and they stand around and watch and gossip and get themselves all worked up - never realizing that if the bosses were to do the somethings that they want they would be included in the something being done.

[Fate]

"Do your work, and let go"

[ilumairen]

When I look at the butcher storey the thing that jumps out at me is that it is the storey of a man who was just doing his job - albeit his awareness and skill made him extraordinarily good at it.

 

Manitou, in my understanding of wu wei, it is quite possible that you not only did have chance to apply it in your working life, but that, at least once, if you did the same job with the same people for any length of time (thereby increasing your likelihood of the awareness that enables such skill) you did wu wei - even if you didn't have a word to describe it.

 

While many people push, bully, and grasp their way through life, I have yet to find someone who has never experienced wu wei in at least one thing. It could be something as simple as making grandma's meatloaf or playing a game of darts. Even the man who attempts to create the most drama for me at work has bow hunting.

[子泰]

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Edited November 2, 2015 by 子泰

[Astral Monk]

Acting without acting...like a boss!

 

8)

[Daeluin]

At this point I am fading out of my "job". I respond in the moment to that which I am asked to do, and I don't take things super seriously. I no longer carry the burden of responsibility for making sure everything gets done, having realized that the purpose our business works toward is not in line with what I am trying to cultivate. And yet I do not rush into a new job as I slowly allow this one to fade. Often I will see emails I did not respond to where a person asked for help yesterday, but fixed their own issue before I could come to help them. Thus I do nothing, yet everything resolves itself. I accept that I am just being, and not working hard to be my best, as I have no passion to learn more about what this line of work. I accept that what I do could be done better by others, and yet too I am not paid competitively, and it has been hard to find someone to replace me.

 

I have been open about my plans to fade out, and open about the need to be replaced. Lately there have been people stepping in to help fill my role, and it is nice. We have been choosing simpler paths rather than more complicated ones to avoid the need for someone to manage things that are more involved. When I do not jump to resolve things, it provides an opportunity for our new assistants to learn more about problem solving for when I am not here.

 

For the future, perhaps I will simply play music on the street for donations, or do yijing readings, or Chinese Astrology as I feel more confident in it. I have come to recognize that when my needs are few and my possessions few, I don't need a large paycheck to support what to me is a rich and clean lifestyle. When faced with the dilemma of where to live, I asked the dao... and someone ended up abandoning the framework for a tinyhouse on the property I was helping to cultivate. We put it up and I expanded it a little. It has enough space to move around, study, and meditate in. Because it is small, I was able to put in a very nice wood floor, and because there were many ongoing construction projects around me I was able to reuse what others were throwing away. My living needs are taken care of in the main house, where I pay a small fee to be a member of, mostly through work-trading to help complete the renovations one day a week. For transportation everything can be met through walking or biking, so I am selling my car. Thus the primary need for money is in the form of supporting the remaining attachments of my desire for pre-made food. This even helps simplify things like relationships, as many cannot fathom living a lifestyle that for me is incredibly rich and has the potential to be as simple as I allow it to be.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Daeluin

[Brian]

I generally move in wu wei throughout my "day job" as well as the rest of the time...

 

I've been doing IT management stuff for more than two decades in several industries and, after learning lots of theories and principles and rules and such, I have relaxed into it. I exert very little energy and carry even less stress -- the Tao does nothing yet leaves nothing undone.

 

I find that silence helps with listening. Inner silence, that is, and energetic/holistic listening. Currents are more easily detected against a still backdrop. Observing patterns and applying energy with intent can provide steerage, allowing one to step in and out of the flow.

 

My co-workers have dubbed me "king of the elves." I tell them sugar cookies are nice rewards for a job well done.