The Fourth Reiki Principle
Over the last three weeks, we have discussed the origin of Dr. Usui’s gokai, his precepts for living in right relationship with the universe, and we took a look at the first gokai, “Just for today, I will not worry,” the second gokai, “Just for today, I will not anger,” and the third gokai, “Just for today, I will be filled with humble gratitude.” Today, we are going to dedicate ourselves to the fourth gokai:
Just for today, my true self will be reflected in my work.
It’s important to note that in the most common English translation from the traditional Japanese, the fourth gokai is actually closer to, “Just for today, I will do my work honestly,” but in that translation something has been lost. Japanese culture places great significance on authenticity in all aspects of life, and this is what “honest” is intended to mean in this sentence. So it’s not good enough to just be honest at your workplace, you must be honest with yourself regarding your work and whether or not the work you are doing truly aligns with your morals, ideals, goals, and dreams. That’s why I’ve chosen this less-commonly used translation to pass on to you.
Why is authenticity in work important?
When we are living in authenticity, we avoid the pitfalls of cognitive dissonance. Let me give you an example. Imagine a mother who is constantly telling her children that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up and that the only requirement is that they do what they love, but she works in an office job that makes her miserable. She may begin to feel like she has to force herself to love her job to avoid appearing hypocritical. Every day that she finds it impossible to love this job she hates in a career she never wanted, she spirals into shame brought on by cognitive dissonance--her reality does not match her ideals. This shame might manifest itself as her feeling like she is a bad mother, a bad employee, or just generally a bad person. It can also manifest in her consciously or unconsciously sabotaging her children’s dreams in order to keep them “practical,” making her choice feel like less of a betrayal of her own beliefs and more like the preferred outcome.
OK, but how do I be authentic in a job I hate?
We all have bills to pay. I’m not suggesting that you quit your 9-5 and go become a professional coffee shop guitar player. But you can absolutely be your most authentic self, even when your job isn’t fulfilling your spirit. Here’s how:
Know yourself. Really ask yourself when you start to feel in conflict at work, “what is the actual problem?” It could be that the coworker you can’t stand is triggering a trauma you haven’t healed, and it’s the trauma that you associate with going to work, not the actual job that you are hating. Or maybe that feeling of being drained by the grind culture of your workplace is actually undue psychological pressure you’re putting on yourself to be hyper-productive when it’s perfectly fine to take breaks throughout the day to avoid burnout. Ask yourself if the problems in your workplace are problems of your own making, and then try to help yourself solve them.
Validate yourself. Hold space for your priorities. Nobody said you have to LOVE your job (except for that hypothetical mom in my example above, but she’s not real, ok?). But if you can acknowledge that your job is helping you reach certain goals, you may be able to find some gratitude for the bridge that is your job, instead of the wall it sometimes feels like.
Make compromises. Maybe the company you work for is less than ethical in the way it treats its employees or conducts its business, but you can’t afford to lose your job by becoming a whistleblower, or you can’t afford to outright quit. But maybe you can donate a few dollars each month to a cause that helps people negatively impacted by your company’s behavior. Or maybe you can find other ways to give back that help you feel as though you are “balancing the scales.”
When possible, make a change. This is the most obvious choice. If you can’t be authentically yourself in your work and you have the means and the opportunity, leave. Many people are afraid of starting over, but I just started over myself after nearly 20 years in the music industry, and I’ve never felt more satisfied in life. Sometimes the scary thing is the best thing. Sometimes the hard thing is the most rewarding thing.
No matter how you find it, authenticity is always more rewarding than lying to yourself or others. Let the beautiful you that is YOU shine through in everything you do, and you will always find joy in the most unexpected places--even a cubicle.
