All experience starts with feeling.

We feel our feelings first in our bodies, this is the ground by which every experience is birthed. Our bodies are constantly speaking to us, anticipating, and seeking to communicate our needs. These needs can include things such as hunger, connection, physical touch, movement, creation, or prayer.

Our environments and world are also arousing our bodily sensations and calling forth our intentions. For example, our workplaces give us opportunities, they place demands on us, and they can also make our lives difficult. We are continually navigating these complexities, our bodies giving highest priority to the most urgent needs existing at any given moment.

After feeling comes awareness. This is when we come into contact with our feelings. The goal here is to become conscious of our feelings, in this way, we get to decide how we’d like to mobilize toward action.

Mobilization is when we ready ourselves to take the action. It is important to note, however, that we mobilize the most excitement, energy, and life force only for those actions that are important to us, all others will suffer from a lack of motivation, interest, or vitality.

And next, we come to action.

Ex-perience, ex-istence, ex-pression, ex-pectant, ex-ploration.

In Latin the prefix “ex” represents a movement outward, moving from one state to another; reaching out to the world, to others, toward contact with life itself. This is the heart of what we’re talking about when we talk about the Human Experience.

Our feelings and awareness are mobilizing us toward some action that will fulfill and complete our needs, urges, dreams, hopes, values, aims, desires, and intentions. Our bodies are moving us to engage with the world and making meaning in our lives through our actions.  

These components of the Human Experience Lifecycle: Feeling > Awareness > Mobilization > Action are the most important aspects to focus on both in our individual lives and as leaders.

Now, let’s discuss some ideas for optimizing our experiences, both as individuals and as leaders.

As individuals, we can engage in the following practices to enhance our experiences and create more meaning in our lives.  

1.     Listen to the body.

Practices: Body scan practices, somatic therapy, meditation, stress reduction practices, spending time in nature without devices.

2.     Become aware of feelings.

Practices: Practicing noticing and observing sensations and emotions through deep breathing, focused attention, and naming them as they arise.    

3.     Understand intrinsic motivations, values, and innate interests.

Practices: Engage in values work, know what is important to you and why, envision your idea future, and begin to home in on those things that bring you joy.

4.     Act in alignment with core motivations and values, therefore mobilizing the most potent amount of vitality in all actions taken.

Practices: Begin to notice which actions feel good and give energy versus action that do not feel good and take energy. Inventory these actions and adjust accordingly.

As leaders, we can engage our teams and workplaces in the following ways to enhance the workplace experience.

1.     Emotional Intelligence learning opportunities.

Investments: Invest in live, customized trainings for your team that allows individuals to develop their self-awareness and connect with others in community. Please reach out for ideas and programming in the space.

2.     Programs and digital tools to understand everyone on the team.

Investments: Coaching and mentorship programs to cultivate human-to-human connected, supported by digital tools such as ohrg.com that allows employees to share who they are (identity), how they work (unique skills), why they work (purpose), and what they do (work experience).    

3.     Wellness and wellbeing resources, policies, and physical environments.

Investments: This area is vast and encompasses all of what we’ve covered thus far, but here are some additional thought starters:

• ADA, LEED, and WELL certified spaces with access to nature, natural light, green spaces, eco-materials, and a diversity of space types.
• Implementation of a 3-year sabbatical program.
• Access to retreat centers and programming focused on play, creativity, and innovation.