“The key questions for today’s managers and leaders are no longer issues of task and structure, but are questions of spirit.” – Jack Hawley, Reawakening the Spirit in Work

Most of us spend eight or more hours a day at work. What if anything does the job have to do with spiritual life? Everything. Many people say they would like to quit their jobs to find a more meaningful occupation. They feel that in their current professions they’re not making a contribution. They say that working for a charity or volunteering would bring more contentment. But every job can become meaningful and every individual can make a contribution and find satisfaction when work is perceived as a spiritual practice.

Consider the cashier at Earthfare who uses her job in a conscious way to uplift people. She greets them with a constant, serene and sincere presence. She doesn’t demand attention or shout out that her job is a spiritual practice (and she may not even consider it that way), but in action, her words of encouragement that come out as she bags kale and organic coffee, have the power to transform the atmosphere for the people who pass by her. How many hundreds upon thousands of people will be influenced by her calm, quiet presence? These same customers will take home some of her good energy and possibly share it with their families, colleagues and friends.

We tend to think that only jobs with big titles, lots of subordinates and high pay are important. But every person in every job can make a difference – if they turn work into a conscious practice for spiritual growth. In what way can you be more conscious in your job today? If you don’t have a job, then consider your roles. How can you use your role in life to be an inspiration to others? Every opportunity can open doors to new hope and ignite a spark of joy. In spiritual practice, the sacred and profane walk hand in hand, the sacred elevates the profane to turn the journey into one filled with meaning and purpose regardless of place, time or the activity involved.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld