Consciousness and the Future of Work
What if students left university equipped with the authenticity, confidence and consciousness to deal with the unexpected?
Throughout the Change Makers interviews I meet a lot of people who talk about purpose. And I also see a new generation of young professionals looking for meaning and purpose at work, which forces many companies to re-evaluate their culture of work.
But at the same time, I see a lot of students who graduate with a lack of confidence in their own skills and potential, and many times anxious about employment, and the next steps in life. And for good reason:
There is an implicit expectation that by the time they graduate, students should have developed a pretty clear picture of what they want to do with their lives.
Part of this social norm comes from an education system that trains the analytical mind, and a work culture that rewards competition and ambition, and encourages the suppression of the emotional self.
This focus on accumulating knowledge and expertise as fast as possible, as soon as possible, doesn’t leave much room for inward exploration and personal reflection.
As Albert Einstein puts it:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
We get all the tools and knowledge about the outside world, but we rarely get any guidance on dealing with the inside world.
And then we have graduates who are extremely intelligent, who are very well equipped with the knowledge in a specific domain, but at the same time, lacking the tools to deal with uncertainty, lacking the awareness of own values and their connection to the outside world.
Many millennials are experiencing a ‘quarter life crisis’, because, as young professionals, we often forget (and sometimes many companies forget) that we are still supposed to learn, and we are still having many questions. And as young professionals we also forget to care for ourselves and listen to our intuitions.
For some reason, we choose to put our desires and passions aside and postpone them until we have ‘enough experience’ to actually pursue them.
A few weeks ago I had a very insightful conversation with Daniela Klauser, a purpose driven (career) coach, who mentioned:
In schools and universities we train and satisfy the rational mind. And many times our intuitive side, our emotional self gets neglected… until it cannot stay neglected anymore. We always emphasise that growth equals learning and doing more, but what about learning about yourself, turning inwards and understanding who am I and what am I doing here?
And the answers to these questions will probably change many times over a lifetime and that should be ok. With new experiences, knowledge and awareness about oneself and the world around, new values and priorities emerge, which in turn require a new change. (Professional) life is not linear, especially in an age of constant change.
What should we nurture to prepare young people to deal with significant changes in their professional lives?
Consciousness.
Learning about oneself should be as important as learning about the world around us. Today more than ever.
Due to rapid changes in the work environment and the emerging need for finding purpose at work, people will have to go through many career iterations and repackage their skills to match different new roles, but also stay true to their values.
Having a conscious approach in managing personal and professional lives therefore, will be key in connecting with your purpose and leading a fulfilling lifestyle.
👇Listen to the full interview with Daniela Klauser, where we explore further the topics of consciousness at work and self-growth.
