Michael Carroll - Awake at Work: 35 Practical Buddhist Principles for Discovering Clarity and Balance in the Mids t of Works Chaos

If youre thinking about really showing up for the tens of thousands of hours youll spend working during your life, youll want to read this book.

Shambhala Sun

One of the best books ever written about practicing spirituality on the job.

Spirituality and Health

Highly recommended.

Mandala

Refreshingly practical and down to earth.

The Beacon

A revelatory book that brilliantly applies Buddhist principles to the life of work and vice versa.

Warren Bennis, University Professor, University of Southern California, and author of On Becoming a Leader

Michael Carroll does not just write about being awake at work; he has lived that awakening, thoroughly and inventively. His adaptation of Buddhist mindfulness to the complexities of modern employment is a singular and valuable accomplishment, giving us pithy exhortations and detailed instructions for being awake and aware in every workplace situation.

Lewis Richmond, author of Work as a Spiritual Practice

An invaluable guide to survivingand thrivingin todays demanding business environments. Ive drawn on Michaels brilliant and wise advice for years. Now everyone can benefit from his wealth of insight and experience.

Deborah Dugan, president, Disney Publishing Worldwide

A truly unique book. The wisdom that has been developed in two very different realmsthat of business and spiritual practicejoin together to create much richer insight and wisdom. Given the struggles of these times, these teachings are extremely important.

Margaret J. Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science

ABOUT THE BOOK

When we think of work, we often think of drudgery, frustration, and stress. For too many of us, work is the last place in our lives we expect to experience satisfaction, fulfillment, or spiritual growth. In this unique book, Michael Carrolla meditation teacher, executive coach, and corporate directorshares Buddhist wisdom on how to transform the common hassles and anxieties of the workplace into valuable opportunities for heightened wisdom and enhanced effectiveness. Carroll shows us how life on the jobno matter what kind of work we docan become one of the most engaging and fulfilling areas of our lives.

At its heart, Awake at Work offers thirty-five principles that we can use throughout our day to revitalize our work as well as our understanding of ourselves and others. Carroll invites readers to contemplate these slogans and to use them on-the-spot, in the midst of works chaos, to develop clarity, wisdom, and inspiration. Along the way, Carroll presents a variety of techniques and insights to help us acknowledge work, with all its complications, as a valuable invitation to fully live our lives. In an engaging, accessible, and often humorous style, Awake at Work offers readers a path to rediscovering our natural sense of intelligence, confidence, and delight on the job.

For over two decades MICHAEL CARROLL worked on Wall Street and in the publishing industry, holding executive positions at Shearson Lehman Brothers, Paine Webber, Simon & Schuster, and the Walt Disney Company. Founding director of AAW Associates, Carroll consults with major corporations on bringing mindfulness into the workplace. He is a longtime student of Buddhist meditation and an authorized teacher in the lineage of Chgyam Trungpa. Carroll has taught mindfulness meditation at the Wharton School of Business, Columbia University, Kripalu, and the Cape Cod Institute. For more information, visit www.awakeatwork.net.

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FACING THE

CHALLENGES OF

LIFE ON THE JOB

Michael Carroll

SHAMBHALA

Boston & London

2011

Shambhala Publications, Inc.

Horticultural Hall

300 Massachusetts Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

www.shambhala.com

2004 by Michael Carroll

Illustrations in chapters 2 and 17 reproduced by permission of Keith Dowman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Carroll, Michael, 1953 Nov. 7

Awake at Work : 35 Practical Buddhist Principles for Discovering Clarity and Balance in the Midst of Works Chaos1st Shambhala ed.

p. cm.

eISBN 978-0-8348-2172-9

ISBN 1-57062-983-8

1. Job satisfaction. 2. Mind and body. 3. Centering (Psychology) 4. Motivation (Psychology) 5. Self-care, Health. 6. Job enrichment. 7. Awake at Work (Organization) I. Title.

HF5549.5.J63C373 2004

650.1dc22

2004003510

To my mother, Elaine, who first pointed the way

To my father, Thomas, who first taught me to do no harm

To my teacher, Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who introduced me to reality

CONTENTS

I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL to my teacher Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche for firmly and kindly presenting the Shambhala and Kagyu-Nyingma teachings so that someone like me could gain some understanding; to Dudjom Rinpoche and the Karmapa for inviting small children to play in their field; to Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche for encouraging all of us to step out; to Osel Tendzin, who told me the truth; to Khenpo Khatar Rinpoche for patiently instructing me in lojong; to David Nichtern, who ordered me to write this book; to Susan Piver-Browne for enjoying the adventure with such good heart; to Carol Williams for carefully helping me craft my views; to Peter Turner for having confidence beyond hesitation; to Eileen Cope for being clear and encouraging; to Josh Baran for helping others without expectation; to Eden Steinberg for being disciplined and patient; to Alan Schoonmaker for being a wise and delightful sage who can even make poker a path of insight; to Ben Roter, who taught me endless lessons throughout my business career; to Steve McCurry for showing me how to travel in Tibet; to Dr. Flavia Cymbalista for teaching me how to listen deeply to the wisdom of my body; to Jonathan McKeever, who never let the flag touch the ground; to Ellie Byrom-Haley, who brought elegance to the celebration; to Katherine Handin, whose courage and sharpness never waned; to Hayden Gesar Carroll, my son, for inspiring me and making me smile each morning. Finally, I will be forever indebted to my best friend, Susanna Lack, who is ever tender and powerful and never lets me off the hook.

Works Invitation to Wake Up

IN 1980, at the age of twenty-six, I set aside my worldly ambitionsand cashed in all my savingsto attend a Buddhist seminary in Alberta, Canada, led by the renowned Tibetan meditation master Chgyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In seminary we sat in meditation for seven to eight hours a day, studied Tibetan and Indian texts, and discussed timeless Buddhist teachings among ourselves and with Rinpoche. The training was rigorous and thorough, and the time spent in those long, regal stretches of the Canadian Rockies was delightful.