Emotions are said to distort reality; I argue that they are responsible for it. — Robert C. Solomon
An emotion is a state of being which manifests itself through subjective experiences, physiological changes and expressive behaviours. This means that we experience them at three main levels:
Physiological – changes in the nervous system activities such as respiration and heart-rate;
Expressive – facial features, exclamations, crying and laughing; and
Experiential – how we subjectively experience being activated by emotions.
In 2015, Disney with the movie Inside Out, shined a light, for a broader public, on how emotions impact behaviour, decision-making and mood. In the movie the 5 emotion’s unique purpose is identified:
Anger helps to reinforce our values by identifying problems like injustice or interference with self-determination;
Fear tells us how safe/unsafe we feel, as well as identifying potential dangers;
Joy provides an opportunity to experience the world with wonder;
Sadness helps us to process loss; and
Disgust helps us to develop our individuality.
Emotions are a sort of sense impression, the sense of what is at-hand, and what is not-at-hand, the sense of what pieces of the world around us require coping, versus that which flows forth freely. - R. Finzel
Beyond logic and reasoning, emotions and our understanding of them are critical to what we do and how we make decisions. By rationalising and repressing emotions we miss the fullness of being in the moment that ultimately becomes our life. It means we are moving through life with a broken (or disconnected) compass.
The old business model that demands to leave emotions out of the boardroom or that shames people for showing emotions not only is emotional illiterate but doesn’t serve society nor its own purpose to exist in a healthy way.
Poetry has helped me (and millions of people) to establish a connection with my emotions. Feelings and emotion are evoked through images and sounds; insights and metaphors broaden our language, improve interaction and stir imaginations. Through this connection with our own emotions we develop a more acute consciousness and empathy.
I write poetry to hear the “inner” and to speak it to the “outer”.
I now ask you to Lean Back and listen to my inner Whisper talking poetry. What emotions are evoked within you?
Poem Lean Back - from The Whisper
The tiny little Whisper inside
I made a career out of not listening to it
Until it broke me free
Under the big sky of Montana
Nowhere to hide from the truth
That nobody knew about me:
I run a manufacturing plant and I hate itI am a scientist
An executive
I lean into success
I lead from behind and beside
I am a business woman
At the top of her game
And my Whisper saw something else
She saw me dying
Dying to fit in the boy’s club
Dying to prove my worth
Dying to move the needle, move faster, move forward
I couldn’t hear the Whisper that was dying to be heard
Until a quiet moment in the middle of nowhere
Where the Whisper didn’t need to shout to be loud:
You are not a business woman
You are not a woman in business
You are a woman whose business
Needs to become
Working in a new wayI believe that to create new stories, to work in a new way, to live in a new way, we need to enter the narrative of our beings an pay attention to what goes on inside of us. We must get familiar with our inner landscape and then we must develop a new (poetic/heartistic) literacy to express it and communicate it.
If you’re interested to learn more about our knowledge and experience and discuss how we could help through our consultancy, workshops, and talks, drop us a line at fateme@rnewb.com.
Consider also subscribing to the newsletter to stay updated and receive weekly inspiration on more heART for a more human Business.