How much is alignment worth?
on measuring something infinite.
Days, weeks, months, years saved from pursuing the wrong work
Going for a walk and being utterly delighted by the butterflies, puppies, and flowers you pass
Access to creativity that feels like it's coming from beyond you
Healing old patterns within your family
Getting really good at flirting - with people, and life itself
Finding your way to the work that makes your dreams feel possible
Becoming your own best friend
Completing tasks that used to take hours of force in minutes with flow Contributing to something grander than yourself
Knowing that your joy is what contributes to that grandeur
Taking what other people say or do (or don't do) far less personally
Money that comes from doing 'work' that feels as natural as breathing
Living your life instead of performing it
Connection with people who see you so deeply
Letting yourself have FUN
Coming up with new business models overnight
Getting really good at accepting (and giving) compliments
Signing yourself up for comedy (or art, or swim, or salsa) classes
Trusting that everything is happening for you, not to you
Having more inspired, more 'original' thoughts and ideas.
Genuinely enjoying the pleasure of a solo date
Feeling delighted to spend money on businesses and causes that matter
Trusting your intuition as a map to a future that's uniquely yours
Going to bed feeling proud of yourself
Placing equal value on all of the above
How much is alignment worth?
Imagine if your coworker or husband or sister or CEO or best friend experienced the above.
Imagine how we might treat others if we all experienced the above.
Imagine the problems we'd solve if we designed systems for more people to experience the above.
How much is alignment worth?
As I usher in a new way of being within workplaces, I get this question often. Its impact on the bottom line comes up frequently. We've focused societally on linear outcomes for so long that even the notion of something more non-linear feels threatening.
It speaks volumes about our collective psyche - what we believe work ethic is, how we prioritize success as it looks vs as it feels, our preference to choose known outcomes vs unlimited possibilities.
Surely all the rapid cultural and technological changes we're experiencing are coming straight for these long-held, outdated beliefs.
How much is alignment worth? For most of my life, I've circled two questions:
Why do people wait to get (metaphorically) hit by a bus to live the way they want?
And how do I reach my mountain top and actually feel the success I've achieved?
I realized more recently that both of those questions are about alignment. I have ambitions that sometimes scare me, but I've never been willing or particularly good at abandoning how I feel to get there. It's never seemed worth it to me to be super wealthy if I was also deeply unwell.
Choosing this life isn't always the most comfortable path. There are unseen tears, letting go of old environments and beliefs, judgment from others, risky choices, etc.
But there's also unshakeable peace of mind, unlimited creative expression, finances that come from a deep sense of purpose, freedom from what I 'should' do, greater respect from others, FUN, and beautiful relationships with those who understand. Ultimately, it's a feeling of living a life that is wholly, uniquely mine.
A new friend recently described this duality as psychological richness. It's true. I've never felt more human, more alive, more like I was experiencing my life rather than letting it pass me by.
The 'success' of alignment isn't measured in outcomes; it's measured in how fully in sync you are with any given moment, and the vitality that surges through you as a result.
For me, that is worth everything.
How much is alignment worth?
It depends on your appetite for possibility.
Lori