People sometimes experience the following stages in life – harmony, disharmony and a higher harmony. They may experience these as an individual or when living or working with other people.
There are several definitions of the word harmony. Many of these refer to music. Here are some other definitions.
The alignment of feelings, ideas or actions … The alignment of people’s efforts to achieve something special … The alignment of different parts to get positive results.
People who take this approach may feel in harmony with their own values. They may aim to help other people or follow a higher purpose. They may some work with others, for example, to achieve a positive goal.
As mentioned earlier, people may also experience disharmony. This can lead to hurting each other. It can also lead to despair and destruction.
Some people learn from this situations, however, and emerge feeling they want to do something better. Sometimes this can lead to them doing things that lead to a higher harmony. Let’s explore these themes.
Harmony
Looking back, when have you been in harmony with yourself? When have you been in harmony with other people? When you have been in harmony with the work you are doing – either by yourself or other people?
Here are some of the themes that people may mention when they exploring these questions. You will, of course, have your own approach to creating such experiences.
A person may feel in harmony
with themselves when:
They are doing what they love … They have a sense of purpose … They are following their principles … They are positively engaged … They are working towards achieving positive results.
A person may feel in harmony
with other people when:
They are able to be themselves … They are accepted … They are encouraged … They are with kindred spirits … They are not judged … They are sharing common activities … They are creating positive memories.
A person may feel in harmony with their work
– either by themselves or with other people – when:
They are following their vocation … They are building on their strengths … They are following strategies that work … They are cooperating with others by focusing on clarity, creativity and compelling goals.
Let’s return to your own life and work. When you have had some of these experiences? What were you doing right then? How can you follow similar principles in the future? What may be the benefits?
Some people feel a sense of harmony early in their lives. Feeling loved, they are given the space to grow. They may have parents who encourage them to follow their passions, explore and develop.
They may then go on to do work they love. They may pursue the work that gives them positive energy and gets positive results. That way they win every day.
Feeling alive, they do satisfying work. This can provide a sense of affirmation and encourages them to keep developing. They feel a sense of harmony and want to do their best during their time on the planet.
Some people may experience these feelings. There may come a time, however, when they encounter a certain kind of difficult challenge.
Disharmony
Looking back, when have you felt a sense of disharmony? This could have led to a feeling of distress of dislocation. It could also have affected parts of your being.
A person may experience disharmony within
themselves, with others or in their work when:
They are feeling out of control … They are not following their values … They are in painful relationships … They are doing things that give them negative energy … They are not able to manage the triggers that send them into a downward spiral.
They are focusing on what they can’t control … They are working in a toxic culture … They are seeking affirmation from others when it will not be forthcoming … They are not able to see a way forward to improve their health, hope or happiness.
Some people do not feel in harmony with themselves. They ignore their strengths and focus on their shortcomings. They neglect their assets and focus on their angst.
They may find it hard to follow their principles. They may instead aim for status by gaining certain kinds of prizes. They may reach their goals but then feel empty in their centre.
Such people may have negative conversations with themselves. This may include focusing on some of the following themes.
“Why can’t I be content? What do I want to change in my life? Why do keep criticising myself? How can I get myself out of negative cycles? What can I do to feel more at peace?”
Some people in relationships, teams and organisations may begin their journey together by focusing on common goals. They may also coordinate their strengths to achieve success.
They may reach a stage where they find it difficult to align their efforts, however, and fall into disharmony. They may blame each other or fall into negative cycles.
Some people stay this way forever. Some find it tiring but do not know how to get into a more virtuous circle. Some move on to the following stage.
Higher Harmony
Some people reach a stage in their lives when the move into a state of higher harmony. They may focus on pursuing this path within themselves, with other people or in relation to the life forces on the planet. Different people do this in different ways.
Some emerge from exhausting experiences. They then start to feel that there must be a better way of living or working.
Some embark on various kinds of inner or outer journeys. These can take them into territories that bring enlightening experiences.
Some explore and add to their educational experiences. These may show ways they can follow during the rest of their time on the planet.
A person may apply these lessons to live more in harmony with themselves. They have a sense of gratitude and accept who they are. They aim to become the best kind of person or professional they can be.
Such person may begin to feel more at peace. This can come from having a sense of perspective. They recognise they are small in the great sweep of history. They also realise, however, that it is be important to be kind to others and plant seeds of hope during their time on the planet.
They may aim to do work where they feel in their element – at ease and yet able to excel. They may focus on using their strengths and aim to do superb work that helps others to achieve success.
They may find ways to manage differences and solve conflict. They aim to go beyond blame and focus on common ground. They may then develop the skills to – as far as possible – find win-win solutions.
Such a person may aim to serve something greater than themselves. They may do this when working by themselves or with others. They may then coordinate their talents to do creative work that involves a higher harmony.
An individual or a team may do this by going into a state of flow. They then aim to focus, do fine work and finish. Some go into their equivalent of the zone. Some combine their strengths and capitalise on their synergy to deliver success.
A person may become more at ease as they get older. They may find themselves merging with the forces that bring life to the planet. They enjoy life and see every day as a bonus.
Such a person may count their blessings and consider how they have tried to help people to be happy. They may reflect on how, for much of their life, they tried to do their best. This may bring a sense of peace and perhaps a higher sense of harmony.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the harmony or higher harmony approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.
You may aim to live more in harmony with yourself or other people. You may aim to experience a higher harmony in your work or with the planet. How can you follow this approach in your own way?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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