Detached Action

From a business perspective, how does non-attachment play out? It would appear that there are two ways to live out your life. One is to do things for rewards or out of fear of punishment. The second approach is to act out of the burning desire to live your vocation.

Many people have been conditioned by their upbringing to seek praise and / or to fear retribution. This is sort of Parenting 101, if you think about it. We were all socialized in this way.

So, at work, if you are focused on pleasing your superiors and not rocking the boat, you are attached to receiving praise for a job well done. If, on the other hand, your style is to do your job out of fear of consequences, you are attached to not being punished.

You will begin to see that such an approach means you are choosing to leave your feelings and your self worth at the mercy of others. Now, the truth is, others are reacting to their own set of beliefs and understandings, and are playing out either praise or blame on the basis of their upbringing. If both of you are doing this, non-presence is the rule of the day. There is attachment to blame, guilt and rewards and punishments.

It is "easy" to step out of this loop. The way out is non-attached presence. Although an easy concept, it can be difficult to apply. Let's try it this way. Suppose I begin to think that my vocation is to produce excellent results, no matter what I am doing, because I am "acting for (or as) god." I therefore consider my actions to be "godly" - driven by a mindful desire to be of service.

Now, if this is my premise, I am simply concerned with doing the best that I can, compared with myself. I'm not trying to be better than others, nor am I choosing to live my life by comparison. I am focused on one thing - Nishkamakarma - "doing my duty (living my vocation) with faith in God, without attachment to the results of my action."

I am thus a vocationally driven enactor - living in the moment.

Why in the moment? Well, it is easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that, with enough planning, we can control our lives, our fate, and the destiny and direction of our business. In actuality, nothing is further from the truth. The mark of excellence is the ability to deal effectively and elegantly with the unexpected. Or, another way of putting this is: "Any moron can excel when nothing is going wrong. The wise soul is able to excel when the ship seems to be sinking."

Presence allows us to notice what is actually happening, and to deal with the unexpected. As we begin to act, we need to be willing to let go of looking for whom to blame, to let go of any attachment to "guilting" ourselves. Because to go there - to attach to blame, is to stop dead in your tracks. Sure, we have to figure out what went wrong, sure, we have to choose another way and see what happens when we apply that "other way." Praise and punishment simply get us nowhere.

If you are an employee and are being subjected to praise or blame, begin a month-long project. First, find a place to go have a breath. Second, remind yourself, "This is all about my boss' need to be in control - to pretend to be in control. While my boss may be into blame, I know this is not about me, personally. I may have to find another strategy or walk another way, but this is about staying present and acting, not personalizing and not hurting myself. I gain nothing by beating up on myself. I gain nothing by attaching myself to my boss' views of me. I am vocationally driven, and will return to producing excellence. I am an adult, not a child."

Easy? No. Essential? Yes. Make this shift, or decide, right now, to stay stuck in attachment, defining yourself as others see you. As always, your choice.

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