Feed your soul through work and its relationships

Read about soul and work in Australia's Business Review Weekly: "Work can feed your soul (if you let it) ". Written by Kath Walters for the 10 August 2011 issue, this piece quotes Thomas Moore and his book, A Life at Work: The Joy Of Discovering What You Were Born To Do (2008). Walters writes about Moore's view that the workplace nurtures soul:

"Where 'spirit' lives in the present and future, soul is the depth and meaning often forged by painful episodes and mistakes in our past. It is from past experiences that we draw inspiration, creativity, knowledge and humility.

Soulfulness can be integrated into leadership and also into buildings by providing rooms or water features allowing for quiet reflection, using building materials such as wood and stone to remind us of our origins in nature, and providing access to fresh air."

She also concludes the article with Moore's observations about the importance of pleasure at work:

"If it all sounds too lofty, author Thomas Moore, has a simple way to ground such ideals.

'One thing that is ignored is pleasure. We imagine work is something we have to endure. My view is that work is soulful if you can take delight in it,' he says. 'Business leaders can find ways to make work more pleasurable from a lot of sources: decent food, good chairs to sit on, a beautiful and supportive environment, and five minutes to go outside and breathe some fresh air. Also, people need to have friends at work. This is a very ancient idea. Business leaders think that friendships will have a negative impact on productivity, but that is not true. Without friends people feel empty. If you don’t have pleasure at work, you don’t have soul.'