How Do You Define WORK*?

It's February 2016, and the world economy is foundering. The progress in elevating people out of poverty in many developing markets has stalled, the employment rate in countries like Spain and France is hovering around 20% and 10%, respectively, causing its own set of problems. In the US overall, we are the lucky ones with unemployment around 5% but, of course, the lower income segment of our population wouldn't agree about being called lucky.

On the front page, or at least the back, there is constant news about inequality –- the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and the middle class getting squeezed from all angles.

Some say it is the natural order of growth. Others say it is discrimination of the highest form. Many argue for and against with few concrete answers.

So how do we create work for the masses where everyone is compensated based on the value they bring, their unique set of skills and the passion they bring?

The answer to this question cannot be answered in this column but will be over time. It will demand that we explore the very nature of who we are as human beings, how we function and create right livelihoods in the world and, ultimately, how we define WORK.

There are potentially an unlimited number of answers, and I’ll focus on two that I see are at the core of this issue.

• The evolution of our state of consciousness as human race.
• The stagnation and de-volution of the traditional structures we have created around jobs, employment, unemployment and retirement.

(To be continued in the March issue)

*WORK – a contribution to society that is constructed from one's unique WORK purpose crafted into a service or product that is leveraged and matched to meet and serve deeper needs in the marketplace.

A question for YOU:
What do you see as the difference between how work is defined today and this larger sense of WORK for everyone?

Please reply at patricia@internationalpurpose.com and together we can transform the way we create work and business.

P.S. Look out for our March Edition, where we'll talk about how you can Join the Evolution of WORK to support your knowledge, application and the evolution of WORK.

WORK as an Evolutionary Path
(Book Excerpt continued)

Jeremy Rifkin, in The End of Work, talks about the demise of the job in a traditional sense. I would ask if this is a catastrophe or opportunity. This may well be a blessing in disguise. The demise of the old model of work is actually granting us freedom to explore our greater selves, to build internal strength and to be responsible for our own learning and our destiny. We can no longer control or be controlled by the traditional job structure. We are too self-aware, conscious, educated and heart-centered to allow this false sense of life to continue.

If we are willing to surrender to a higher calling, then your WORK will be presented on a silver platter. But do be aware that this journey is only for the strong of heart. Much will be asked of us. In turn, much will be given. We will be tested every step of the way, for strength is essential. Surrendering to a purposeful course is necessary for the expansion of the universe. Some are realizing this and acting on it -- others are coming along kicking and screaming. The choice is ours. I always say give it a chance. It can't hurt, and it might help.

We all have unique WORK to do, WORK that is a means to healing and evolution. But what does that look like? How and where do we start? With willingness and desire.

(Beyond) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

The human race is evolving at a blinding pace moving beyond Abraham Maslow's original hierarchy used to illustrate how human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs. We move up and down this ladder depending on many aspects of life and WORK such as our mindset and circumstances. The satisfaction of these needs is core to our advancement and evolution.

The areas in parentheses have been added to Maslow's original hierarchy.

• (Transcendence -– helping others to self-actualize)
• Self-Actualization -– the desire to become everything one is capable of becoming.
• (Aesthetic Needs -– for beauty, balance and form)
• (Cognitive Needs -– need for knowledge, meaning and self-awareness)
• Self-Esteem Needs -– need for achievement, status, responsibility and reputation Love and Belonging Needs – to feel acceptance and to love and be loved.
• Safety Needs –- need for security, safety and a predictable orderly world.
• Biological and Physiological Needs -– basic human needs for such things as air, water, food, sleep, etc.
  
  (Adapted by persons unknown base on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)

Where are you on this continuum? Are you stuck in fear-based security or grounded in seeking self-actualization? This book and process will guide you along the way.