We’re onto the fifth in our series of blogs trying to re-brand the Seven Deadly Sins as The Super 7. On the face of it, the task is getting harder as we approach the thorny issue of Lust. Is it possible to reintroduce Lust into the workplace without de-stabilising performance? Can Lust make a positive contribution to our working lives without inciting negative and destructive behaviours?
The Fifth of The 7: Lust- the bringer of energy?
We talk about things being ‘lacklustre’ when they are dull and lifeless, and ‘lustrous’ when they are rich, colourful, shiny and gleaming. And we refer to a lust for life in positive terms because it implies we live life to the full. So why is it so frowned upon?
I think it’s time to return Lust from ‘sin’ to ‘shine’.
Extreme desire and pleasure derived from doing something you actually love is intoxicating. Yet how many people can say that they experience these feelings in their day-to-day work? Not many and that’s sad.
Lust has become associated with an unhealthy and inappropriate focus on one form of
pleasure: an exaggerated sexual appetite. But it is so much more than that. It is a state of mind and a powerful emotion that is experienced when you are ‘in the zone’. It’s akin to what Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, calls ‘Flow’: a state of positive psychology when everything is alive and working at maximum efficiency without massive effort.
When we do something we love, chemical changes occur in our body. Our mind and body work as one, and we achieve great things. This is not the norm. Studies show that most people rarely achieve this state at work because most people are not doing what they love, what they are good at or what they believe in. For many people, work is a torment; necessary but not to be enjoyed; and something to be endured. The Strengths-based movement provides countless examples of this and the negative effects it has on well-being and performance.
Wouldn’t it be great if we saw more lust at work? What sort of place would it be if people were doing what they are great at: working with their talents; pursuing goals that are meaningful to them; taking full advantage of every opportunity for growth and happiness; generating a joyful atmosphere around them; maintaining hope and optimism; confronting challenges with passion and positivity; and loving every minute of it?
Just think what would happen to your workplace if from Monday, the state described above was in play. What a remarkable transformation it would be!
Of course, if you want, you can choose the option of a lacklustre life. But I think it’s time to shine!
Feel free to comment if you think Lust should be rehabilitated as one of the Super 7.
And keep coming back to this site to read how it might be possible to welcome back wrath, greed, sloth, pride, envy, and gluttony.