What Does it Mean to be Wild at Work?

I use the word "wild" a lot in my worklife. I use the word in many of my offerings to folks, and it's one way that I want to feel on a daily basis, no matter what I'm doing. The word "wild" can conjure up all sorts of images, from unruly teenagers to rock stars, which isn't exactly the point I'm trying to make by using it. To me, "wild" resonates because it's about something much deeper within us.

Something we may have forgotten about consciously but that never went away.

To be wild is to live in harmony with our true nature.

It's about instinct, and intuition, and a sense of connectedness that most of us don't experience on a regular basis.

I often wonder if there's room for our wild selves at work. In most organizations - and this is even true for entrepreneurs like me - there are layers and layers of unspoken rules about what's acceptable and what's not.

From where I sit, I see a bourgeoning desire among professionals to reconnect with the natural world, which of course includes their own internal wildernesses. This is a beautiful thing. It means that more freedom, authenticity, and truth are at hand.

So, what does it mean to be wild at work?

If being wild is about being our true selves, then I see it showing up in four major ways:

First, as a deeper connectedness to our bodies.

Up until two or three years ago, I couldn't have told you what my body might think about the stress I was in at work. I assumed bodies were for using - my body got me to work, it typed things, and it was a real annoyance every time it needed to eat or sleep. I was separated from my body, which is a real shame given the fact that it was sending me blaring alarm signals that I could have listened to.

Other animals can't separate from their bodies like we do. Our minds give us the ability, for better or worse, to override what our bodies are telling us about a situation.

To be wild at work means that we partner with our bodies instead of hating them for placing limitations on us. We express gratitude for the fact that we're here on this earth in this way and honor that by taking good care of the skin we're in. To be wild at work might mean sleeping more, taking regular breaks every 90 minutes at work, or choosing foods that support the body.

Second, to be wild at work is to be connected to the Earth. 

Can you imagine putting a bunch of bears in a climate-controlled office environment with fluorescent lighting on them all day? Let's say they're there for months, and even years, day in and day out. How would that change them?

I don't think anyone would argue that bears should be in that kind of environment all day for years at a time, but a lot of us assume that it's fine for humans.

The truth is, being in an environment where we're shut off from Nature is detrimental to us, too.

To be wild at work is to cultivate a connection to the Earth in some way, even if you do have to sit in a poorly lit cubicle 40+ hours/week. Maybe your instinctual nature will be nourished enough by going on hikes over the weekends, or tending to a plant on your desk, or looking at cute animal pictures on your lunch break.

Third, it's about reconnecting to our intuition.

When I think about having to survive in the wild on my own, I just shrug my shoulders and assume I'd be dead in a matter of days. Martha Beck talks a lot in her book Finding Your Way in a Wild New World about the amazing abilities of modern-day trackers. These are people who track wild animals using skills that most of us in the "real world" have totally lost touch with.

There is so much mystery and truth right underneath our rationale-loving noses, and if we can reconnect with our intuition, it will guide us. We can learn to track our own desires again.

To be wild at work is to know and trust your own internal GPS even though there's external pressure to be logical and justify your actions. You'll know when it's your intuition because it will feel clear and free, as if you just know where to find the water and food you need.

Finally, to be wild at work is to be connected to one another.

Before we could all go to the grocery store, rent apartments of our own, and be entertained by little screens, we existed in tribes of around 100 people. We were embedded. The concept of "loneliness" may not have even existed.

Some wild animals are solitary beings, but not us. To be disconnected - at work or in any area of our lives - is physically painful to us. More and more research is demonstrating the harmful health outcomes that come along with living in isolation, and work is one of the most common places where people feel alone.

If we really let our natural, true selves out of the "civilized" prison we've constructed around us, we can connect more deeply with one another. At work, this requires us to be authentic and loving - to assume the best in our colleagues even when we feel like they're getting in our way somehow.

You know what's the most beautiful part about this concept of being "wild"?

It's that we're already there.

We are in bodies, on the earth, with intuition and the ability to connect with each other.

We are wild, despite our civilization and occasional disconnection from ourselves.

All we have to do is reclaim what feels natural to us.

If this topic feels wild or natural or energizing to you, then you might be interested in a free webinar I'm doing next Wednesday, 1/11/17, at 10am PST.

It's called How to Work in a Wild New Way, and we'll be digging deeper into this topic.